


Research Reports

by Xenotechie



Category: Warframe
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2018-08-11 20:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 99,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7906564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenotechie/pseuds/Xenotechie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an eternal struggle to protect their Profit from Tenno incursions, the Corpus employ an active research team headed by Alaitor Kub, Tech-Commander. Its goal is to analyse the Warframes used by the Tenno, understand the principles of their operation, and use that knowledge against them. However, the task of doing so without getting horribly murdered by a Tenno raid is quite daunting, and not everything is as it seems with Alaitor...</p><p>Beware of Second Dream spoilers from chapter 4 onwards.</p><p> All chapters are published on Reddit, but the fic has been moved to a dedicated archive site by popular demand. New chapters coming out at an irregular schedule.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nekros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4ye874/in_honour_of_the_coming_nekros_prime_a_quick/

Honoured Executives, you have certainly heard of the "Nekros" Warframes undergoing an unexpected refit recently. As part of the active research you have hired my team and I for, we were of course obliged to look into this issue. The research uncovered a number of worrying developments. However, our understanding of that particular Betrayer weapon has also increased. Have no doubts, your platinum and credits were well spent.

As per your request, a mining station on Jupiter has been set up to attract Betrayer incursions. Rumours were deliberately circulated about the station being a hidden Neural Sensor manufactory. This was done in order to attract "Nekros" Warframes, based on our understanding of their role in a cell as being primarily focused on resource acquisition. Despite your requests, only Moas and Ospreys were used for the defence of the platform. Our monitoring equipment had unexpected interactions with the standard Crewman exosuits and the problem could not be solved within our deadlines. You will be pleased to hear that this did not affect the data acquisition.

In a show of the blessings of Profit, nothing but a single "Nekros" Warframe was dispatched to deal with the perceived threat of the station. This allowed maximum data to be collected during the assault. The following is a number of statistics connected to our conclusions. 

>   * _Primary weapon : Tenno assault rifle, designation "_ ** _Soma_** _", Orokin pattern_
> 

>   * _Secondary weapon: Grineer pistol, designation "_ ** _Marelok_** _", Steel Meridian pattern_
>   * _Melee weapon: Tenno scythe, official designation still pending, basic pattern_
> 
>   * _Ability designation "_ ** _Soul Projectile_** _" uses: 3_
> 
>   * _Ability designation "_ ** _Terror_** _" uses: 2_
> 
>   * _Ability designation "_ ** _Scavenger_** _" uses: 1_
> 
>   * _Ability designation "_ ** _Shadow Clone_** _" uses : 8_
> 
> 


Regretfully, the combat effectiveness of this Betrayer implement of destruction has been drastically improved by the refit. The "Scavenger" ability has been reconfigured to work without Warframe input at a slight loss to efficiency, allowing more weapon usage. The "Shadow Clone" ability has sacrificed quantity for quality, meaning that the mass apparitions used by "Nekros" are more powerful and more durable, although fewer in number. The reconfiguration also resulted in the Warframe maintaining existing apparitions in favour of replacing them. No other significant changes could be detected, and none of the known specialist weapons used by the Betrayer forces seem to have been adopted for any Warframe related purpose.

However, you will be pleased to know that the sensors installed on the station and the defending proxies have allowed us to relearn, and perhaps even surpass the discoveries tragically lost to the Void along with the Mutalist-strain Technocyte research as a side effect of the Viver Massacre. The discoveries on the nature of this Warframe's powers are as follows:

  * We believe the "Soul Projectile" designation has been surprisingly accurate to the nature of the ability. The energy readings from the projectiles showed a similarity to the energy readings of Tenno projections occasionally seen during their incursions. A probable hypothesis is that the "Soul Projectile" taps into similar energies used by the Betrayers to remotely control their machines of war, albeit at a smaller scale. The exact readings could be useful for the purposes of improving the direct remote control of our Proxies.

  * The "Terror" ability, as was suspected, is achieved by a combination of nanospore-backed pheromones and carefully placed minor magnetic pulses, resulting in uncontrollable fear and/or false positive danger readings on exosuits and robotics. What was not expected was the addition of several self-deleting AI viruses masked as override commands, which would initiate a panic subroutine in the proxies and delete themselves soon after, in order to avoid detailed analysis. The fact that these are still effective so long after the Orokin era either speaks of void-accursed Betrayer ingenuity, or incredible incompetence of our counterparts at the Corpus electronic warfrare teams.

  * The "Scavenger" ability is a example of horrifying Betrayer cruelty. While our speculations that it is based on void energy-generated nanite repair swarms seem mostly correct, said nanites are actually very inefficient. Most of the mass of the affected seems to be somehow removed, and the few proxies that still had active systems when affected by the ability registered what most carbon-based life forms know as immeasurable pain. Fortunately, this ability only works on the critically disabled for as of yet unknown reasons. The leading theory amongst my research team is that this is somehow linked to the mechanisms of "Soul Projectile", but we believe that even the Betrayers have little understanding of this capability of theirs, their filthy minds being more focused on the spoils of battle "Nekros" provides.

  * Finally, the "Shadow Clone" ability, despite all data acquired, is still a mystery. The exact replication mechanism used by the Warframe could not be understood, and the stability of the mass apparitions defied all known advances in the field even prior to the refit, and, right now, it is completely baffling. However, this particular loss is not without profit, as some of the mass apparitions had very faint responses to our remote monitoring equipment. While the weakness of these responses indicates a likely minor malfunction in the equipment, it would also be consistent with the theory one of my researchers has postulated that the excess mass from "Scavenger" is teleported to a Void "pocket" of sorts, from where it is retrieved when a mass apparition is needed. While this theory would indicate a level of Void manipulation that in not expected even of the Tenno, recent discoveries on Lua show that the theory might not be so far fetched.

  * All this data seems to point to a heavy degree of overengineering, even for the Betrayers. Almost everything the Warframe is capable of can be achieved via simpler methods. This leads us to believe that, in the Orokin era, this Warframe was used for intimidation, although the usefulness of such stratagems against the Sentients is questionable. It is probable that "Nekros" was devised, before all else, for inter-Orokin squabbles or dissident control, and only later adapted for combat scavenging.




As our conclusion, we recommend a couple of tactics for the Tech-Sergeants out in the field. Nullifiers and nullifier units, if available, should be encouraged to quickly close the gap to the Warframe in order to disrupt their mass apparitions and disable the ability to use "Terror". If such units are not available or the presence of other Warframes makes it a non-option, we recommend attempting to increase the distance between the "Nekros" and the squad they command, in a manner that still allows sustaining focused and continuous fire on it.

I would also like to use this opportunity to inform you of several new relics being discovered by some of our research associates, currently in charge of raids of the Infested Orokin towers. A preliminary report will be sent your way as soon as the possible contents of the relics are determined. At any rate, the full report on the Warframe and all of the collected data will be made available to you when it is compiled in a completely human-parsable manner and appropriately encrypted. May our ledgers become oceans, our margins see Centauri.

With utmost respect,

 ** _Alaitor Kub_** , Tech-Commander


	2. Excalibur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4yimw0/active_research_report_excalibur/

Honoured Executives, I was very glad to please you with my previous report on the Warframe designated as "Nekros". My team and I have been quite surprised to hear that you had no available reports on the nature of the Excalibur Warframe written in a, I quote, "fashion legible to anyone but a deranged tech-savant". Considering Excalibur is easily one of the most common Warframes in the field, with a relative wealth of available Orokin documentation (including a designation confirmed by primary sources), you can imagine our surprise when a request for a report written in a similar fashion to our previous work came with Excalibur components. We are more than happy to keep them as payment for the compiling of this report, and the platinum you spent to acquire them from the traitorous Alad V, as you shall soon see, has only now shown its true potential.

Before all else, a quick summary on the Warframe in question. Surely, every Crewman is familiar with its appearance: a square, generally unadorned humanoid body, with a distinctive helmet ending in a horn of variable shape and length. As the oldest known Warframe model, it has a number of variations. Beyond the basic loadout, Excalibur has been seen with Orokin, Prisma, Immortal and Technocyte patterns, along with a number of recent patterns which have pending official designations. Excalibur's helmet also has a number of seemingly cosmetic variations. The Technocyte-pattern Excalibur is of special interest, as comparison with the Warframe components we received has uncovered some very interesting characteristics.

In a Betrayer cell, the Excalibur usually takes the role of the designated damage dealer, supported by the other Warframes of the cell; for detailed information, refer to the attached video recordings. They both show Betrayer assaults: one is recovered footage from the Viver Massacre, and one is a recording made with a custom Osprey during an attack on Draco, a former Grineer comms hub on Ceres and a known hotspot of Tenno activity. Unfortunately for our operatives in the field, Excalibur has shown high combat efficiency, and even Nullifier fields and Bursa assaults merely slow down the void-accursed Warframe. The best case scenario is generally disabling Excalibur for a short period, after which it almost inevitably rises again to fight with renewed vigour.

Now, for the part I assume interests you the most, our analysis of the components you provided. Sadly, Alad V, may his stocks crash like an unpowered Osprey, diverted most of the core components into his literal pet project. This left us with what can be described as a child's puzzle with missing pieces. Still, what we managed to uncover was far beyond our previous understanding of the Warframe in question; the Lotus is very fervent in recovering any of her fallen monsters, and managing to keep parts like this without having a squad of veteran Betrayers destroy your space station with those grenade launchers of theirs has proven to be quite difficult. In addition, while we have an abundace of Warframe foundry blueprints, they have a mind-boggling variety of fail-safes, protections, and fail-deadlies in order to prevent them being manifactured by any foundry without the appropriate signatures, presumably implemented by the Orokin to prevent the subversion of Warframes (quite ironic, considering the events of Terminus). The discoveries you might find interesting are as follows:

  * Excalibur was originally a prototype, and it shows. The Warframe has a number of vestigial systems which have been identified in Warframes such as Mag and "Ivara" by some of my counterparts on Phobos (which were sadly burnt to a crisp by a Warframe designated as "Nezha" not soon after sending the data to us). This indicates that Excalibur was likely used as a test bed for Void manipulation. The Warframe might have even been capable of invisibility, much like Loki, based on partial circuits found in Excalibur's right arm.

  * Compared to "Nekros", Excalibur's abilities use incredibly basic techniques to achieve their deadly potential. The ability Orokin documents refer to as Slash Dash actually only uses Void energy to power an energy weapon; the movement simply reuses the boosters used by all the Warframes for their peculiar brand of movement, and presumably reuses systems which were used by Super Jump prior to the refit last year.

  * Radial Blind is another ability achieved via very simple means. The systems required to create the loud bang and flash don't actually use the Warframe's energy reserves; rather, they are used to shield the Warframe and its cell from the effects. This is not too surprising, as we have used this technology for the creation of Denial-pattern Bursas.

  * Radial Javelin is an interesting combination of three individually simple systems. First, targets are designated for the ability; we believe that this requires the assistance of the Betrayer piloting Excalibur, based on recovered combat footage. Second, energy javelins are created near the targets. Creating objects out of Void energy is a surprisingly simple process we have used in automated factories on Neptune for as long as the Corpus exist. Finally, these javelins are accelerated towards their targets at astounding speeds, with generally deadly results. Sadly, the components we have available do not shed light on the exact target acquisition process, which is a major obstacle in our efforts to turn a number of Betrayer contraptions against them, and even if we have the core systems, it is quite possible we would still require a Tenno of our own.

  * The ability Excalibur Warframes acquired after their refit last year, designated "Energy Sword", is still an enigma to us due to the age of the components we received. However, the components do give credibility to the theory that this ability uses a modification of Radial Javelin's energy javelin systems, albeit the sheer power of the weapon in question is completely inexplicable by our understanding of Orokin and Betrayer technology. There were several promising developments in the field, but the data was lost to a number of quick and bloody raids launched as soon as the initial discoveries were published. We implore you to keep all Warframe research facilities under Executive-class lockdown, much like ours. Loss of such knowledge is a detriment to Profit.

  * Several months ago, a research station of Pluto got their hands of an Technocyte-pattern Excalibur. In order to extract the maximum amount of data before the Tenno retrieval teams arrived, the research done on the frame was very basic. The team then proceeded to evacuate the station about half an hour before a highly equipped Betrayer cell docked to retrieve the lost Warframe. The map of the surface systems from that study shows a drastically different configuration to any of the known Excalibur variations. In fact, the systems seem positively archaic, without a number of well-known Void energy manipulation optimizations widely used by the Orokin. The team's attempt to date the Excalibur showed an astounding result: the design predated the Old War, and perhaps even the Orokin Empire. At the time, the result was dismissed as an error caused by their haste, but our analysis of the standard Excalibur's components gives these findings surprising credence. There is an old conspiracy theory that claims that Warframes and the Technocyte virus predate the Orokin Empire, but it would seem the people who believe it might not all be Void-crazed crewmen or defective Grineer clones after all. More study of Technocyte-pattern weaponry and Warframes is required.




Finally, the role of Excalibur during the Old War is clear: a move of desperation by the Orokin against the overwhelming Sentient forces. As the first Warframe, Excalibur is well rounded and has no glaring weaknesses, meaning no specific strategies can be recommended. Taking cover is advised to avoid Radial Blind and Javelin, but even this strategy is quite vulnerable to "Energy Blade" Our one blessing of Profit is that Excalibur Warframes are often used by freshly awakened Betrayers, meaning that they fight with less skill and modifications than our forces occupying Tenno hotspots have learned to deal with. Such Warframes can be distinguished by simple colour palettes, with no added ornamentation found among the more experienced operatives of the accursed Lotus.

More detailed results and test results will arrive when full encryption is complete and operational security is assured. You will notice an extra expense on this quarter's bills. This is because I had to launch a information campaign against Nef Anyo's predatory practices in the interests of not getting everyone on board murdered by the Betrayers due to our location getting leaked because of someone sending him a "Void Offering" or whatever he calls his scam. Our accounts in black, our enemies' in red,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Alaitor Kub_** , Tech-Commander


	3. Titania

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4yolgy/active_research_report_titania_silver_grove/

Honoured Executives, the whims of Profit do not smile upon us. About 24 hours ago, several ships equipped with our monitoring equipment have spotted a completely new Warframe model being used by a Tenno cell. So far, we have observed three raids, and our counterparts at other research stations also report sightings of this new Warframe.

Slightly after the first sighting, the following Grineer message has been intercepted by a covert observer team on Earth:

 

> General, mission failure. Construction of weapon manufactory KR-105536 delayed. Attempted plant extermination, sudden attacks by Tenno scum. After, nine tenths of men lost to steel killer insects. The forest came alive. Now, under attack by filthy New Loka. I beg forgiveness, for men and I. Our weakness unacceptable.
> 
> Kartil-105368-LO

These "killer insects" match one of the abilities the new Warframe has been shown to exhibit, although the reports of the "living forest" were a probable Betrayer terror tactic, may their platinum never find a buyer. Nevertheless, this prompted research into our available Orokin archives, and a primary source referring to a Warframe matching these sightings has been found. The Warframe is named Titania, and it never went into mass production; it was lost to the void on Earth, along with its designer. That the Betrayers have capabilities to recreate this lost Warframe so soon after its discovery is indeed very troubling, albeit quite profitable, should we ever get out hands on one of their foundries.

Titania is a slender, feminine Warframe. It wears a "skirt", and floats in mid-air while not moving. Its arms carry small, butterfly-like flying drones, which detach and attack the Warframe's enemies when ordered. The most striking feature of Titania is that it often reduces its size by about four times and starts flying, with the butterflies acting as fighter escorts, so to speak. Its role in an experienced Tenno cell is currently unknown, but we postulate the Warframe will be used for damage prevention, in a similar manner to Loki and the Warframe currently designated as "Noble". Two separate helmet patterns have been identified, but it is unknown at this time which is the base, and which is the modified pattern.

Edited recordings of Tenno raids are pending, and they will be sent along with detailed reports at a later date. In the meantime, here are the reports we were able to write up in the timeframe we had available:

**Raid one: research station on Jupiter**

  * Cell size: **4**
  * Cell composition: Technocyte-pattern **Excalibur** , **Titania** , Orokin-pattern **Nova** , " **Harlequin** "
  * Titania arnaments: Tenno(?) grenade launcher " **Mortarion** ", Technocyte-pattern **Glaive**
  * Titania behaviour: The Warframe mostly relied on its weaponry, only using one of its abilities. The Tenno operating the Warframe was, presumably, not yet fully attuned with Titania. Sadly, this did not help the VIP captured by the Betrayers.



**Raid two: Training station on Neptune**

  * Cell size: **4**
  * Cell composition: **Titania** , Orokin-pattern **Loki** , **Excalibur,** " **Pharaoh** "
  * Titania arnaments: Vandal-pattern **Dera** assault rifle, Orokin-pattern **Lex** , Sentient heavy sword " **Caledfwlch** "
  * Titania behaviour: The Tenno using this Titania was clearly more experienced, using all of the abilities of the Warframe in question. It seemed to be almost playful, throwing around an unfortunate Tech-Sergeant like a playing ball for no discernible tactical reason. Note that the other Warframe, quite unusually, stopped their carnage to scan some Frostleaf growing near the facility. I suggest immediately investigating any possible toxins created from the plant.



**Raid three: Moa production facility in orbit of Pluto**

  * Cell size: **1**
  * Cell composition: **Titania**
  * Titania arnaments: Mars-pattern Grineer sniper rifle " **Vulkar** "
  * Titania behaviour: The Betrayers evidently needed nothing more than the transaction ledgers of the facility, and we were barely able to get any recordings of Titania. We only have a 12 second video recording of the Warframe, exhibiting similar behaviour to the one seen in the second raid, shortly before leaving behind some sort of holographic projection depicting a stylised Kubrow and leaving the facility. Tactical significance of the projection is still unknown.



As you might imagine, our understanding of this Warframe's capabilities is still at a very basic level. Detailed investigation is ongoing, but, in the meantime, here are our theories and discoveries:

  * Titania possesses the ability to suddenly make our soldiers and proxies start floating. Warframes near Titania when this ability is used start glowing with no discernible effect. This is likely using the same principles used to make our Ospreys float, but the glow on other Warframes is still a mystery to us. The ability seems limited by range. We propose the designation "Faerie Dust".

  * A single enemy of Titania is blasted away. Titania then proceeds to jump over an illusory, floating copy of the victim. The copy dissipates in a burst of light, and then, one of a number of different effects seems to take place as the illusion dissipates. So far, we have identified damage reflection and projectile redirection as possible effects. The mechanism of this ability is a mystery, and there are almost as many theories to its nature as there are researchers in my team: similar energy as used by "Nekros", refitted technology from life leech mods, nanobot resource extraction, etc. We propose the designation "Soul Steal".

  * Like a more focused version of "Faerie Dust", Titania floats up a single void-cursed victim, However, this time, it sends out its butterfly drones to fly around the affected. This combination somehow attracts nearby soldiers to peacefully follow the floating victim, while being attacked by the drones. Titania has been shown to control the affected via gunfire, diverting entire squads from fighting the Betrayer abominations. After a period of time, the unfortunate victim explodes, the drones are recalled, and any survivors resume normal function. If our theory that osprey anti gravity technology was used to achieve floating is correct, then the explosion can be explained as a very sudden loss of gravity nullification materials resulting in a violent reaction with the local gravity field. Pretty much every Crewman who has tinkered with an osprey can speak volumes about how destructive an unintentional detonation can be, not to mention a weaponization of the effect. As for the attraction, the most probable theory is that Titania uses a modification of the pheromones and AI viruses used by "Nekros". Interviews with survivors of the ability are pending, as it will take some time to assure operational security. We propose the designation "Bug Light".

  * What is by far one of the most baffling abilities I have ever seen exhibited by a Warframe is Titania's capability to reduce its size and fly, using weaponry that is still as effective as fully-sized Warframe arnaments, if not more so, along with a drone escort. The weaponry and the flight is easily explainable, but reducing a Warframe's size about four times is a complete and utter mystery to us. Either the Warframe somehow reduces its mass by about 75% and **somehow** regains it completely normally when it stops using the ability, while remaining completely functional at a reduced scale, or it compresses itself to a degree that gives the laws of physics the natural equivalent of buying all of your competitor's stocks at one tenth price while mocking them through a comm link the whole time. Quite frankly, I am of the opinion that the miniature Titania is some sort of a mass projection, while the actual Warframe becomes invisible, presumably giggling internally at our stupidity. We propose the designation "Shrink".




The role that this Warframe would have taken in the Old War, had it gone into production, is a curious one. Normally, you'd expect a Warframe with shrinking capabilities to be an infiltrator, able to silently glide through ventilation shafts. However, Titania's other abilities do not correlate with this design goal; you would expect some form on invisibility, technology disruption, or teleportation (as seen with Loki and Ivara). We believe the true design goal for Titania were diversion operations, as so often undertaken by the Betrayers while a lone operative robs us blind in the aftermath. Considering the nature of Titania's abilities, it was probably also used to dazzle the various researchers of the Orokin Empire, such as the progenitors of the Corpus faction. Perhaps it was meant as a reminder of all the power the Empire held, even in its decline.

Based on Titania's behaviour patterns, Tech-Sergeants are recommended to distract the Warframe with proxies. The cruelly playful nature of the Warframe and its operators might distract it from accomplishing its mission long enough to line up a perfect Lanka shot from a safe range.

Our research on this new threat is still going. Expect further update as our data sets improve and the adoption of the Warframe increases among the Betrayers. May the void ever bring you knowledge, and may the knowledge ever bring you Profit,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Alaitor Kub_** , Tech-Commander


	4. The Betrayer trade channel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4yuea2/active_research_report_the_betrayer_trade_channel/

Honoured Executives, we see a great Profit upon the horizon! A listening post on Venus, intended for the further research of Titania, has picked up a signal unlike any we have seen before! It turned out to be a Betrayer text-based market channel! The post was only able to pick up the signal for a very short time before being forcefully disconnected, but this gives us an insight into their economy the Corpus have never had before! The following is the very signal we have managed to intercept, along with our research notes on it.

 

> **Trading is done within the Dojo at a Trading Post** ( _Available Orokin archives refer to Dojos as gathering places for various Tenno subdivisions. We have long suspected that such places were rebuilt in wake of the Betrayer reawakening, but this confirms the theory. Presumably, the necessity to conduct a trade in-person is a safety measure, to ensure there are no non-Tenno breaching their isolated economy._ ) **You can invite non-members of your clan to your Dojo to trade** ( _This implies that each Tenno clan has their own dojo. We have knowledge of a number of infamous clans of the Betrayers, and they are numerous. This makes an open assault against them even more problematic._ ) **Trading is currently limited to: MODS, KEYS, PLATINUM, and PRIME BLUEPRINTS/PARTS.** ( _Prime is an alternate term for the Orokin pattern weaponry and Warframes_ ) **You must have a Mastery Rank of 2 or higher to trade.** ( _Presumably a measurement of individual Tenno experience. Advancement is probably done through Orokin-like Halls of Ascension_ ) **We do not enforce trades for promises, clan membership, and other favors. Trade for items only.** ( _It is reassuring to know that even the Betrayers require stupid boilerplate disclaimers._ )
> 
> **Scytheblade: WTS [Ember Prime Chassis] [Ember Prime Systems] [Ember Prime Neuroptics] pm offers** ( _This further confirms the existence of specific Tenno operative designations. Judging by their... quality, they are likely chosen by the Betrayers themselves._ )
> 
> **BangoBongo: WTS [Mag Prime] set 65 plat** ( _This is ridiculously cheap. Presumably, this merely refers to the blueprints for the Orokin-pattern Mag. Even then, the price of such a set would number in the hundreds of thousands of platinum. It is clear that the Betrayers have a far easier time than us obtaining Orokin technology. It is also clear that anyone who could somehow infiltrate the Tenno economy would be on the fast track to joining your ranks, honoured Executives._ )
> 
> **DarkstarPrime: WTS [Ember Prime] set** ( _Betrayer raid cells have seen a decrease in the numbers of Orokin-pattern Embers recently. It is possible that they have lost access to a source of the relevant Orokin relics._ )
> 
> **Wolf13245: WTS [Loki Prime] 240:platinum:** ( _Some text formatting was inevitably lost due to incompatible software._ )
> 
> **Endlessclimb: WTB [Nikana Prime] set 135:platinum:** ( _We have no idea what a Nikana is. Possibilities include the paired automatic pistols "Timpani", sword "Zatoichi", and throwing knives "Narwhals"._ )
> 
> **xxSlayer63xx: WTB Primed [Pistol Gambit] maxed** ( _The independent merchant Baro Ki'Teer has been known to sell advanced Orokin modules. Working with the Betrayers would explain his incredible stocks of Orokin technology._ )
> 
> **HeirOfGrief: WTS [Vaykor Hek] 25p** ( _The only known variant of the Grineer shotgun "Hek" known to be used by Tenno cells is the Steel Meridian pattern. This gives us an official confirmation of the name. However, trading non-"Prime" weaponry is in contrast to the message we received upon entering the channel. This message might just be outdated, like the infamous stock market status ticker on Venus. I still remember when it talked about the meteoric rise of Eris companies, exactly 2 years after the planet got overrun by the Infested_ )
> 
> **69SpaceCowboy: wts multishot mods 12p each** ( _Once again, Tenno prices are ludicrously low. Undamaged, unranked multishot modules were sold at 500 platinum a piece the last time I checked._ )

At this point, the connection was terminated by a "[DE]Kickbot", with no explanation given. We will attempt to connect to other Tenno channels as opportunities show themselves. May your assets climb eternally.

With utmost respect,

 ** _Alaitor Kub_** , Tech-Commander

 

> Now why is that damn recorder all the way over here? Now, hello, whoever got this voice recorder! If you are hearing this message, I am probably dead, or otherwise disabled from frantically stealing whatever's playing this message! Considering my current profession, it is probably the former. My bet's that I'll end up spaghettified by a Tenno black hole launcher. Isn't that fun?!
> 
> I had to get this off my chest. What I am about to speak about would probably end up with me being executed by my employers, or, worse, shipped off to an indoctrination temple on Neptune. So, why am I doing this? Well, with my current odds of survival over a 10 year period being estimated at 0.23% by the lab's Cephalon, I figured, if I'm going to die, I might as well die with an unburdened mind.
> 
> If you are a Tenno who spent the last few months intercepting my communications to the Executive Board, you might know me as Alaitor Kub, Tech-Commander. The truth is, my name is Kaiathas Kahn, a name I don't use because I don't want you to connect the dots and figure out the location of this research facility, which I suspect is a futile effort nonetheless. My parents told me I was named after an "old Terran religious text". The fact that they refer to Earth as Terra should tell you a lot about what they were like. At least, I really hope it does! I want to know more about them! They died when I was three to a Grineer invasion, which meant I got shipped off to Neptune to a Crewman training facility. I would not wish that experience to my worst enemy. Well, actually, I would wish it upon the executives, so they get to know what horrors they perform to get the obedient toy soldiers they want so much.
> 
> Since the odds are that it will be the Tenno who recover this, I want it to be known that I don't actually hate you! It is a common occupational hazard to people working in this field. That's why my predecessor got executed when he tried to run off to the Perrin Sequence. Do you know nerve-wracking it is to think about whether I call you the Betrayers enough? You don't really even deserve the name, even the Corpus didn't like the Orokin that much! Vauban, as I understand it, was designed specifically so the golden gods could destroy the first of the Corpus!
> 
> You did capture and kill a lot of my colleagues, true. However, due to my very keen interest on not being brainwashed, I never mentioned to the board that most of them had it coming. Marin used only non-indoctrinated Crewmen for her Tenno traps, Ket stole half of the life support budget for his station, and Dopen was an unapologetic sadist, Void take him! I probably have it coming too, half my strategies include telling the Tech-Sergeants to treat their loyal men like mere resources.
> 
> And you know what the worst thing is? I have seen your projections. You are children who have only known war their entire lives. I try to get mad at all the Corpus you killed, but I can't! I'm not sure if you could even function normally, without murder. I have read of what happened to you, children of the Zariman 10-0 and I have seen what your actions today have accomplished, and, sometimes, I feel like I am at the wrong side and there's nothing I can do about it.
> 
> Sure, I get paid a lot, I could buy pretty much whatever I want short of a space station. But the thing is, I can't enjoy it. Even if I wasn't constrained by operational security, I can't even go into the bathroom without worrying that there is an invisible Ivara crouching on the toilet, waiting to put an arrow through my head like I deserve. Couldn't even enjoy Martian Jellyfish without constantly being paranoid about a "Pharaoh" or whatever the Tenno call it suddenly entombing me in sand and then disassembling me for vitality.
> 
> But, somehow, recording all this makes me feel better, more relaxed... apparently, I have to check out some abnormal readings on the ventilation systems. I should do this again. Maybe, next time, go over how I even got to be stuck with this job. Kaiathas, signing off.


	5. Loki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4z1p2p/active_research_report_loki/

Honoured Executives, your concern about the safety of our data storage facilities is very reasonable. When enquired about it, our lab's cephalon informed me that only 16.37% of all Betrayer incursions are successfully prevented by our current defences. This is a very troubling statistic, and we have isolated the three main Warframes responsible for this state of affairs: Loki, Ivara and "Noble". Your donation of the neuroptics and the upper torso of a Loki Warframe, combined with the data gathering efforts of my Void-misbegotten predecessor, has lent us an insight into the mechanism of some of Loki's abilities and possible defence options, and by the time this report reaches you, I believe we will have already begun encryption work on Ivara's report.

The Loki components you received from the traitorous Alad V, may his endeavours continue to end in miserable failure, contained the complete systems behind the Decoy ability, and partial systems responsible for Loki's invisibility. However, we were able to reconstruct the complete system for that ability thanks the vestigial invisibility circuit we had previously found in Excalibur.

Loki is an older Warframe design, with a number of Orokin-era documents related to it. It is a slender, masculine Warframe, with two horns, their lengths and shapes varying on the particular helmet design, jutting out of the sides of its head. Loki's known configurations are the Orokin, Immortal and Trickster patterns. Besides that, as with all older Warframe designs, Loki has a large number of different helmets, all being variations of the design outlined previously.

Beyond hijacking data, Loki's often seen in prisoner extraction operations, and as a part of larger Tenno cells, taking the role of damage mitigation with the use of its Radial Disarm, which disables almost all ranged weaponry we can deploy. Skilled Loki users have been known to go through an entire research facility, gathering all relevant data without any indication of their presence for days after the incident, with the only thing pointing to their existence being some Void energy residues. Previously, Loki accounted for a large proportion of our Warframe takedowns, due to the inexperience of their Betrayer operators. However, it would seem that their Lotus caught on to this, and Volt seems to have supplanted Loki as a "training Warframe"; it is far more capable in the wrong hands, so to speak.

We are able to base Loki's behaviour pattern in a data vault based on failed or otherwise non-optimal attempts at data extraction. The Warframe usually enters invisibility before entering the data vault, running around our oblivious defences (and occasionally executing the vault's defenders) while periodically refreshing the invisibility, until the data repository is found, upon which it hacks the information, disables the security systems of the vault under various pretences (power failure, systems inspection, intrusive software update, or others, as appropriate), and easily gets out of the vault, moving swiftly onward to the next vault, or extraction. An incredibly infuriating capability of this Warframe is its combination of the Decoy and Switch Teleport abilities, which allows it to completely bypass laser barriers.

What allows us to discover Loki the most often are unexpected losses of invisibility while under a camera, accidental triggering of laser barriers, and sometimes, the Warframe trying to attempt an unnecessary execution and getting spotted by a dead angle camera in the process. This data, along with our research of its abilities has given us new avenues of data defense. The following are simple overviews of the Warframe's abilities:

  * The Decoy ability is based on a holographic projector embedded in Loki's helmet. Sadly, it is a very ingenious piece of hardware, able to project the image in spite of the Warframe's erratic movement, even being able to project the image through solid barriers through some clever Void manipulation which, while interesting, is in no way simple to explain. Suffice it to say that my team's engineers were very impressed with its capabilities. They will, of course, be checked for Betrayer sympathising tendencies. The main weakness of Decoy is its immobility; common sense should make our crewmen able to quickly distinguish it from the actual Warframe, but common sense is commonly lacking. We recommend an education campaign on vulnerable locations.

  * Loki's Invisibility provides optical invisibility, true, but it is also resistant to a number of other detection methods. Before getting our hands on the Loki parts you provided, we believed this effect was achieved by some sort of electromagnetic/physical wave detection and avoidance. However, the truth is that Loki relies on different subsystems for different detection methods. The Warframe's carapace is capable of displaying images, meaning optical invisibility is achieved via projecting an image of the area behind the observed side of the Warframe. This is a surprisingly ancient technology, but obviously effective, with only minor optical distortions. Radar and sonar avoidance is achieved via detection of the respective waves, upon which the Warframe's surface becomes extra receptive to them, with the effect being that the wave bouncing back appears to have been reflected from further away, resulting in effective invisibility to such systems. As for thermal detection, Loki seems to be built in such a way that it does not generate a lot of heat during its operation, although we cannot be too sure about this, due to the fact we only have the neuroptics and a part of the torso to work with. What we do know is that Loki's materials very quickly adapt to temperature changes, which might account for the Warframe's frailty. At any rate, this system is an absolute masterpiece of relatively simple solutions used to great effect, inherent in golden era Orokin engineering.

  * The technology behind Switch Teleport is known to us, due to its widespread use by Grineer officers. It is a simple replacement teleport, with the only complication being in target designation. To achieve this, some sort of life form or a robotic is used. Nothing much to say about this that does not require about 5 years of education in teleportation technology to understand.

  * Radial Disarm is not often used in Tenno data center incursions, but we analysed it based on post-mortem inspections of affected equipment for the sake of completion. Once again, it is an ingenious mechanism: by disrupting the ammo-to-projectile conversion mechanisms, it disables almost any weapon made in the last millenium. This could be avoided by using archaic, battery based weaponry, but this is incredibly impractical for various reasons (module incompatibility, logistics, inferior damage...). Of note is the unusual interaction of Betrayer disarming abilities and our Moas: it causes a stun baton-like rod to erupt from their cannons, which is responsible for a large number of recent crewman jokes. However, the rod is not a stun baton, but rather, a part of the disabled conversion system which erupts from the Moa as a failsafe. So, no, contrary to popular belief, our Moas aren't powered by kicking Tenno ass, or whatever the newest joke making the rounds goes like. Of interest is the common modification of the ability that adds a radioactive blast to it, which has the effect of severely compromising standard IFF systems and heads-up displays, a flaw that is sadly inherent to the proper operation of the systems.




Primary Orokin sources make Loki's role rather clear: infiltration, with Radial Disarm intended as a getaway ability. At the time, it was quite unstoppable in the right hands. However, we have nullification technology today, and it is my team's suggestion to incorporate it into high value data repositories. For reasons of Profit (and visibility), I suggest the usage of the nullifier technology implemented in Fog-pattern specialist exosuits as a method of surprising the Betrayer infiltrators. If these are unavailable, an economic option is addition of laser barriers that move throughout corridors leading to the data repository, as vaults utilising such barriers have had increased success rates. There is also the possibility in replicating whatever method the Grineer kavat handlers have been using, but my understanding is that they are always heavily indoctrinated into the Grineer philosophy, so extracting useful information is quite difficult. May your trade secrets remain secret forever,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Alaitor Kub_** , Tech-Commander

> Once again, another day of appearing to be the good little Tenno hating toy soldier the Executive board wants me to be. All the while, they keep getting the safety systems the lab needs from the lowest bidder, like the Void energy detectors that failed yesterday. Apparently, repair personnel's having one hell of a headache with it. Had to make up some crap about pursuing possible Tenno sympathisers, just in case they don't believe my lies. The one good thing Neptune taught me was to tell the higher ups what they want to hear, and look like what they want to see. Well, that, and keeping out of the way when it's time for the beatings, or later in my career, when the Grineer came screaming about Targats and Klems.
> 
> Neptune was a horrible place. I don't like to talk about it too much. There was pain, suffering, death, and, worst of all, broken people and broken minds. However, there was something in me that did not yield. On the surface, I was an average student, scoring high only on Loyalty and Combat Training. However, what my instructors didn't see was all the contraband I got my hands on. I learned things they didn't want us to learn, and miraculously went through it without a lobotomy. In the end of those grueling 22 years, I was assigned as a basic crewman as a part of defence force of a communications relay on Eris.
> 
> This was a long time before the Tenno awakened and the Infested started returning in full force. Back then, our one problem were Grineer raids.Now, being a Neptune crewman, I was, of course, supposed to charge at their lancers, screaming about profit, and promptly getting riddled full of holes, while the Tech-Sergeants used the distraction to actually do some damage and, should any of us miraculously survive, take full credit...and full credits. In practice, I got very good at making excuses to avoid being on the front line. There was no one better than me at figuring out where the Grineer would strike, and finding patrol openings that placed me as far as humanly possible from those places. By the time I could reinforce my forces, all or most of the Grineer incursions would already be stopped, the survivors writhing in pain, screaming about Kweens and Klem, whatever those words mean in that language of theirs.
> 
> I couldn't always evade their attacks. Still, the fact that I am speaking about this stuff should tell you how I survived. True, I have a number of cuts from those cleaver wielding maniacs of theirs. However, I survived: I am pretty handy with a Prova, if I do say so myself, and I wasted most of my time on Eris at the shooting range, so I am a pretty good shot with a Dera. Most importantly, however, I was very good at making all the other guys do most of the work, generally getting into a fight only when one of those maniacs presumably saw me for the coward I truly am. I could have run, true, but, while that was good for my short term survival, I always cared more about the long term. Still have my Dera from back then in my office, it's right ... strange, don't remember it being on the wall... oh, right, put it up this morning. Yeah, definitely did that. This stress is getting to me.
> 
> So, anyway, I survived, but nobody was saying "Crewman Kahn, your avoidance of doing anything dangerous is a true inspiration to us all, have a promotion!" Didn't help than I never quite got a grasp of stock market mechanics, so promotion via being a rich bastard was right out. I never really complained, though. The position kept me without too many expectations placed on me, and was probably the safest job I could get with my background.
> 
> Still, that all changed one day. It was... two years ago, I think? The Tenno had awakened, the infested were overrunning Eris, and, frankly, I didn't like my odds in the circumstances. Suddenly, we had a minor Grineer incursion, and I decided it's time to take my chances with desertion. Surely, runnning from the Corpus beats becoming an overworked slave or an infested abomination. So, when the alarms sounded off, I threw caution to the wind and went straight for the escape pods. However, the Grineer, in a rare show of grand strategy that does not involve the phrase "we have more clones than you have soldiers", were merely attempting a diversion, under cover of the first assault disabling our detection systems. The majority of their forces was attacking from a completely different side that the diversionary forces assaulted. The side with the escape pods I was running to.
> 
> You can imagine the sheer terror I experienced when I saw a Grineer officer ushering in ever-increasing numbers of clones from those torpedo pods of theirs, right in front of the escape pod bay. My escape plan was out of the question, and so was hiding; they'd find me in seconds. Then, I entered a state of intense calm: my life was probably over, and it was just a matter of how. Still, I saw an option: if I took down the officer, then maybe, just maybe, the Grinner would be distracted long enough for me to make a run for it and call in reinforcements. It was a long shot, but a shot nonetheless.
> 
> It all happened in an instant: I ran around a corner, and let out a burst from my Dera. The mass produced models are quite crap, compared to the ones the Tenno use, but the plasma still found its target, and the officer became very dead and very slightly uglier, as the shots connected with his lightly armoured head. Then, it was a matter of running and screaming for help. With running, it's not a matter of where, as much as from, so, I just tried to stay alive long enough for a squad to arrive and help me out.
> 
> Profit smiled upon me. There were a couple of Elite squads which were still getting geared up in the vicinity, and Command sent them over to help me. In half an hour, it was all over: For every crewman the Grineer killed, we took twenty of their own. I was more than happy to take the credit for "impressive initiative" and "expert takedown of a strategically vital target". A couple of clever lies and half truths, and the brass were even more impressed. A promotion smiled upon me, and I had three options. I could either start training to become a Tech-Sergeant on this station, become an Elite and get shipped off to our Saturn assault teams, with possibility of further promotion if I "led by example", or I could become a part of an "exciting and new research opportunity, with an admirable pay to boot!". I was not staying on Eris, there was no question about that, and I think my decision was the smartest I ever made; the comms hub I was stationed on was known as Viver.
> 
> As for the other two options, well, back then, I thought a nice, quiet research project would be perfect for me, in contrast to the insanity over on Saturn and the eternal fight to get a shipping corridor not taxed up the ass by the Grineer. If I had know where the research project would lead me to, I'd have gladly went to Saturn, and charged into a squad of Grineer bombardiers with nothing but an unpowered Flux Rifle while screaming insults about their faces. Why? The "research opportunity" was formally known as Project Heavenly Emperor. However, the grunts called it Project Nullifier.
> 
> Anyway, that's enough for today. The lab cephalon wants me to observe the encryption process for our Loki report. Kaiathas Kahn, out.


	6. Ivara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4z7pdk/active_research_report_ivara/

Honoured Executives, while Loki is an old, devious foe of the Corpus, Ivara has proven to be even more adept at making off with our precious data than it. Whether this is because of the Warframe's abilities or the relative experience of the Betrayers using it remains to be seen. What makes the situation more depressing is the level of knowledge we have on Ivara, far surpassing what might be expected from a later Warframe model. I believe this was caused by a large-scale research project from about 12 months ago, when one of my counterparts attempted to focus on researching a Warframe that was not used by the contemporary Tenno. Rumour claims that his efforts of exploring ancient Orokin research towers is the reason for a relative abundance of blueprints for Ivara's components, as well as a level of documentation unprecedented for a Warframe of that era (which is still very basic, though). Sadly, as I understand it, the researcher's attempt to construct the Warframe ended in a disaster. Still, this is an old Crewman story, and I haven't been able to keep up with such things after becoming a part of high security research facilities.

Ivara is a Warframe with an adorned feminine body, which notably possesses a quiver of self-replenishing arrows on its left arm. This quiver is used by the Warframe to achieve some of its abilities. No alternate configurations have been observed thus far, but there are two very different helmet variations. One is reminiscent of a hood, with two loose strands of material hanging from it, and the other appears like an long, unusual hat which, from our experience with Warframe design, probably invokes some kind of aspect of long-forgotten pre-Orokin storytelling. Both share an eye-like construct in the front; a rare occurence in Warframe designs.

Ivara's role in a Betrayer cell is currently unclear; it is known to undertake similar solo operations as the Loki Warframe (hence the reason you tasked us to analyse it), but, in advanced group raids, the Warframe just disappears from detection, occasionally killing some proxies or crewmen during the invisibility, without any clear reason. The active research team, yours truly included, has several theories on this behaviour we will outline later on.

Like with Loki, we are only able to base Ivara's tactics during data vault infiltration on failed or fumbled attempts. However, this process has been made difficult by the Warframe's success rates; in other words, it is even more adept at robbing us blind than Loki. What's more, three days of research on these attempts only gave us the the conclusion that Ivara uses very similar methods to it. There are key differences: Ivara is more fond of going around our laser barriers, rather than bypassing them like Loki, it uses its ziplines resulting in more three-dimensional movement, and it is generally slower and more careful than that Warframe. Ivara's failure is rarely caused by decloaking under a camera; rather, laser barriers seem to be its nemeses, but even that is not the case with recent security recordings, with practically all of our available recordings being a result of Ivara's operator simply being impatient at the wrong time.

Despite the sheer number of blueprints we have available, we do not have any technical documentation on Ivara, not even official, primary source ability names. This means we are forced to resort to speculation here, with one exception, based on our previous Excalibur research.

  * Ivara's "Trick Quiver" seems to be a miniature foundry system embedded in the Warframe's left arm, able of producing four different varieties of arrows. This is a very different approach to most known Warframe technology, which usually relies of direct Void energy usage, rather than merely using it as fuel for a mechanical system. The identified varieties of arrows are a **cloaking field arrow** (Possible reuse of technology used for Ash's Smoke Bomb? Actual arrow gives no explanation.), **zipwire arrow** (Analysis after Ivara incursions shows that the arrow expels a milimetre scale string of contained Void energy in the arrow's trail, similar in principle to Orokin Tower Arboriforms.), **noise arrow** (Nothing but an arrow attached to a small speaker), and a **sleep arrow** (We believe it is a combination of a knockout gas and a virus similar to the ones used by Nekros. Once again, the arrow itself does not indicate anything, and the gas leaves no noticeable residue.)

  * Systems able to achieve the effect seen in the "Aftertouch" ability have been previously found in the Excalibur Warframe, and we believe Ivara's own ability is achieved using similar or identical systems. It is actually quite remarkably simple: a set of miniature Void energy-powered thrusters is attached to a projectile. This allows precision control to be achieved on the projectile, and all the energy used for this process makes it far deadlier, even though the projectile often moves slower than normal. This would also explain the lack of any noticeable modification seen on them, as these thrusters would presumably disintegrate once their power is removed. It is a remarkably simple ability, and has a great potential in being adapted for our own forces.

  * "Cloak" is yet another flavour of Betrayer invisibility, used on demand by the Warframe, or automatically engaged with in conjuction with "Aftertouch". However, it seems to operate differently to Loki's own invisibility: Void energy residue created by it is absolutely minimal, but it seems to restrict the Warframe's speed significantly. Based on this, my research team seems to be unanimous in their belief that Ivara uses stealth technologies we postulated were used by Loki; active avoidance of electromagnetic and physical waves would, in theory, be very difficult to achieve in motion due to various detection-based reasons. What is of more interest to our researchers is the secondary function of "Cloak". It is obvious that it exists, based on Ivara's usage in high-profile Betrayer raids, but the question as to "what" is still unanswered. We have several theories.

    * Data storage facilities that have been infiltrated by an unseen Tenno often have a slight increase of complaints about petty theft before the incursion is discovered. Combined by the fact that Ivara is often seen with a "Nekros" or a "Kraken" Warframe seems to suggest that this secondary function is pickpocketing. However, the theory sees sharp opposition in my team, on grounds that a pickpocket Warframe simply sounds ludicrous.
    * In similar fashion to the previous theory, it is possible that various loose items on the persons of Corpus soldiers, rather than being pickpocketed, are disassembled by the Tenno for various necessary resources, in a similar (and more effective) manner as "Nekros". This would fit the purpose Orokin documentation prescribes to the Warframe, but recycling of items on active enemy combatants still seems unlikely, as such methods can be used on items whose owners, which are quite willing to kill the Void-accursed Betrayer abomination, are not around to protect.
    * It is also possible that "Cloak" functions as a close-range, advanced Codex Scanner, and is thus used by the Betrayers for data gathering. This would still fit the Warframe's purpose, but makes no sense in context of the Tenno cells Ivara is seen in.
  * A thing to note about "Cloak" is a very recent, and very troubling development related to our laser barrier defence systems. On a small number of occassions, we have seen Ivara Warframes decloak in the middle of a laser barrier field. True, it is possible they ran into them due to a lack of caution, but our recent lack of success in stopping this Warframe, combined with the exact contact points of the lasers (usually the back part of the Warframe), leads us to suggest that the Betrayers, may their platinum stores turn out to be aluminium, have found a way to completely bypass out laser barriers with "Cloak".

  * "Energy Bow", as the designation implies, is a Void energy-based weapon, similar to the ones seen with Valkyr and Excalibur. An interesting thing to note is that such a weapon normally leaves high amounts of Void energy residue; this is not the case with Ivara. The reason for this is currently not clear, but we postulate that the energy bow created by Ivara is actually a more stable energy construction located in a "pocket dimension", retrieved by the Warframe as needed. This technology seems to be common to all Warframes, and I'm informed it's used to achieve ludicrous degrees of minimization inherent in complex contemporary technology. The fact that Ivara is capable of shooting out energy projectile for otherwise regular bow weapons further confirms this theory.




The two Orokin era documents on Ivara available to us (which is still a lot for such a new design, trust me) mention Ivara as a weapon meant for assassinations. Its low energy signature, high-efficiency invisibility, and variety of stealth movement and takedown options allow the Warframe to stalk a target over several days, waiting for a go signal from command, or merely waiting for a perfect opportunity. It is possible that this Warframe fullfills the role that was originally meant to be taken by Excalibur, as its vestigial systems include invisibility and projectile maneuvering. To defend from this Warframe, my team reiterates the necessity for Nullifier technology. Do note that, due to recent developments, laser barriers may be inadequate: we recommend investigating other methods of achieving the same effect, such as low-tolerance Void energy detectors. Even in depression, even in war, may Profit soar,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Alaitor Kub_** , Tech-Commander

 

> Fortunately, it would seem that our problem with Void energy detectors is solved. The software running the device attempted to update, and seized up because we are running minimal communication with the outside world, and it couldn't make a connection. Tech-Manager's team figured out a hack to make it stop attempting that crap. Might help the atmosphere of uneasiness here, because we can at least be reasonably sure that there is no Tenno running around the place and messing around with people's prized possessions.
> 
> I mean, that wouldn't make sense. Tenno raids are quick and focused, they don't run around pranking the people they are supposed to kill or capture, isn't that right, Ivara standing right behind me? Heh. The stress is getting to us all. People are forgetting to change their passwords, log off datalinks after finishing operating them, and pull their pants up when exiting the bathroom. Poor Bri, she'll never see the last of it.
> 
> So, there I was, headed off the soon-to-be-crawling-with-Tenno Viver, into Project Nullifier. I really should have questioned the cheery tone high command had when describing the experiment. Well, to be fair, in the beginning, the project was a pretty sweet gig! True, we were cut off from civilization, and under the kind of NDA agreement that went "speak a word about this and we cut off your dangly bits off only to feed them to you", but it was actually pretty easy and pretty well paid work, not to mention safe from incursions. All the boxheads like me had to do was do what the eggheads told us to do with the prototype backpacks for 6 hours a day, and provide security coverage when not doing that. I picked up a lot of my knowledge on Void energy mechanics during that time, and got to be an even better shot by training with the Lankas they gave us. All, of course, motivated by my very keen desire to keep living as long as gene therapy allows me to.
> 
> I had some great people to learn from, too. The Board of Directors really wanted the blackout sites like mine safe, even if the Tenno got a wind of it. Serration and Split Chamber was standard issue on all weaponry, and the Techs were the absolute cream of the crop. I don't think the facility had a single commanding officer under 200 years old, and there was a rumour that the chief of security was alive back when the Orokin Empire was still a thing. I got some pretty dirty tricks with the Prova from them. Explains how they stayed alive so long.
> 
> I was safe and I was steadily getting rich, with a good chunk of the credits and the platinum being diverted to a secondary, neutral account I set up just before that incident with the Grineer. It would allow me to purchase things without the Corpus tracking me down by transactions, in the event I had to make a run for it. Still divert some money to it to this day. However, all of that changed when some ABSOLUTE IDIOT... I shouldn't shout. So, this clod had the brilliant idea of sending a Void tribute to that fraud, Nef Anyo. I don't know his name, I don't know his job, I barely know his face, but his contribution of 1000 credits revealed our position, and it was all over. Four hours after his stupidity, there was already a Tenno kill squad on our way.
> 
> Now, you might believe that being a Nullifier Crewman is something desirable. Yeah, job assignment wants you to believe that, too. Great pay, important role, and you are our best weapon against the Betrayer threat. It's funny how we have perfected the art of lying without telling a single lie. Really, you should be immediately suspicious if high command forks out big cash to a crewman role. What they don't mention is just how much the Tenno hate nullifiers. I've seen a lot of raid recordings over my career, and Tenno go out of their way to kill Nullifiers, even in capture missions. You might see a big ol' shield against weapons and Void powers, but all the Tenno see is a blue bullseye. It was a connection I made back then, and it didn't help my situation.
> 
> The eggheads had us all equipped with the prototype Nullifier packs, and sent off to defend as soon as we detected the incursion. They stung like a bitch whenever something hit them, but they worked. Still, that wasn't too much comfort when you were about to be up against a Tenno squad who really wants to figure out what the shiny blue globe does. Now, the Board was pretty adamant about defending the research site with our lives, so escape pods were unavailable. Trying to hide was not an option, too; even if I could get off the pack, I had a (correct) hunch that the Tenno would find me sooner or later. So, the only option was to fight.
> 
> By the time I reached the incursion point, three of the four Warframes were completely out of action. The Corpus went all out with their defences, and the Tenno were probably taken by surprise by the Nullifiers. Still, there was one Warframe standing. As I went through a door on the way to its last known sighting, I saw it.
> 
> I still remember that moment like it was yesterday. It was a "Kestrel" model, coloured in white and garish yellow. From its back flowed a light blue, glowing ribbon, made from an old Orokin material I only saw used used by some Executives back on Viver. In its hands was a Dera, coloured in the same yellow as the Warframe itself. Around it, blew a loud, powerful wind. Or, at least, it was something very reminiscent of wind.
> 
> Once again, I felt an immense calmness. By now, the Tenno probably figured out how our nullification shields worked. If I tried to stay at range and snipe at it with a Lanka, it would just burst down the shield before I got a single hit in, and that was without factoring in whatever that wind of its did. Desperate times required desperate measures.
> 
> I don't think I ever ran quite as fast as when I rushed down that "Kestrel". The Tenno using it was obviously taken by surprise, and it only managed to get off a few shots before I enveloped it in the bubble, dissipating the Warframe's wind. I followed up with a quick Lanka shot. At that range, with my mind so focused on the task at hand, it hit the "Kestrel" squarely on the chest, staggering it. Then, in my adrenaline-pumped mind, there was one certainty: I had to kill it fast, and bullets were too slow. Well, waiting for the Lanka to recharge was too slow. I dropped the weapon and reached for the Prova on my hip. Then, putting in the full energy from my charge behind it, I rammed the Prova right into the groin of the Warframe. I don't know if the "Kestrel" model is male or female, or if it even has something sensitive in the groin, but the move worked. The Warframe was shocked by the energy, which gave me enough time pull my Prova back, and swing it wildly straight at the head of the "Kestrel". Nothing could have dodged that swing.
> 
> The Warframe fell forcefully to the ground, and it wasn't getting up. Through skill, finely tuned survival instincts, and most of all, blind luck, I killed a Warframe all by myself.
> 
> Standing orders are that any Crewman responsible for the permanent death of a Warframe is awarded an instant promotion, with their choice of specific assignment. I saw that as an opportunity to get out of Project Nullifier before the Tenno sent a cell to retrieve their fallen Warframes. So, fresh off my Warframe kill, I ran off with the first courier ship to get to Pluto and start requalification for advanced Void manipulation research; after all, I learned about the cutting edge of such technology during my time there, and I wasn't having any luck with the combat orientation. I swear I saw a Tenno dropship dock with the research site as soon as I left the place...
> 
> So, three months and a diploma later, I got sent off to lead an advanced Void energy research site to lead a team of researchers whose leader "took a well-earned retirement". Yeah, right. I guess they thought that a crewman who has killed a Warframe would be perfectly placed in a Warframe research facility. And now, here I am, leading a bunch of perpetually anxious researchers and defence staff through a line of work where retirement is less likely than winning the lottery.
> 
> I have to get back to work. This... wait, is that a picture of a... kubrow? Oh shit. Oh shit. OH SHIT, THERE'S ACTUALLY AN IVA-

 

* * *

* * *

 

> Uuuuuugh... hnnngh...
> 
> Aaaaaaaaah... waaaait, I'm still alive... wait, where am I?
> 
> _Corpus Tech-Commander Kaiathas Kahn, also known as Alaitor Kub, you are currently located in Cell 231 of Cell Block A on Larunda Relay, in orbit of Mercury._


	7. Larunda Relay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4zdqdu/research_report_larunda_relay/

> _Corpus Tech-Commander Kaiathas Kahn, also known as Alaitor Kub, you are currently located in Cell 231 of Cell Block A on Larunda Relay, in orbit of Mercury._
> 
> Who are you, and what do you want from me?
> 
> _I am Cephalon Cordylon, an archivist of the Lotus. Normally, high ranking captured personnel such as yourself are interrogated, or synthesised if cooperation with them cannot be achieved. However, during Operator Maple's mission, knowledge that both obviates the need for your interrogation and indicates a far more suitable use for you has been acquired._
> 
> What is this use?
> 
> _A number of Tenno operatives have shown a desire for a more in-depth understanding of the functioning of their Warframes. Unfortunately, the average Tenno operative is unable to parse our current documentation on the Warframes. This problem is further compounded by the fact that the Lotus does not want certain details of Warframe construction revealed to the Tenno at this time. Your reports to your Executive board have proven very popular amongst Tenno operatives with access to to the relevant data, and your advanced knowledge of Void energy manipulation could prove quite useful, and your behaviour suggests a 98% chance of cooperation._
> 
> So, what do you propose?
> 
> _You will be provided with non-operational Warframes for your reports, as well as the resources to assemble a research team you might require. Besides that, you will be called upon when expertise in your field of study is required. You will not be able to leave Larunda Relay, although Corpus policy regarding captives of the Tenno indicates that this course of action would be a highly inadvisable. You will be provided with pay and habitation, as any other collaborator of the Tenno._
> 
> And should I refuse?
> 
> _Then we will regrettably be forced to synthesise you. Your odds of escape from Larunda Relay are... ERROR. This is an unusual reading. It would seem it is quite literally physically impossible for you to escape Larunda Relay uncaptured. There are currently 1025 guards, 111 active Warframes, 413 Syndicate combat operatives, and 612 consigned kubrows aboard the Relay, all of which can be called upon to prevent your escape._
> 
> Well, uhh... I graciously accept your offer.
> 
> _Excellent. I look forward to the acquisition of additional data with you. Your habitation block is located on floor -4 of the Relay. There will be further instructions available once you arrive there. Your first assignment will be in two days, so I would recommend that you get familiar with the layout of the Relay in the meantime. Operator Maple has taken the liberty of having your Dera and Prova upgraded to the Vandal configuration, and they are currently located inside the Perrin Sequence enclave near the Concourse. I believe you will also be able to find the skilled science personnel you require there. My data indicates that you have a hefty reputation that could be used to your advantage. If you have any other questions, I will be able to answer them for a limited time._
> 
> First off, how many of my former colleagues were killed during the Tenno assault?
> 
> _Operator Maple believed that more chaos would be incurred by avoiding the elimination of any non-critical personnel. As such, you were the only casualty of the mission._
> 
> How long was the Tenno who captured me creeping around former research lab, and why?
> 
> _Operator Maple was one of the first Tenno to awaken, and, as such, often experiences the feeling of boredom. It is my understanding that organics find the actions that were undertaken on the lab's personnel amusing. However, the Tenno wasn't simply having fun. Over the course of four days, Operator Maple has acquired an impressive amount of data, deleted critical research logs, and engineered a crisis of succession that has a 86% chance of incurring a greater material loss to the Corpus than the mere destruction of the research facility._
> 
> Four days... and why did the Tenno upgrade my weapons?
> 
> _Acts of kindness towards newer Tenno operatives have become an integral part of their culture._
> 
> But I am not a Tenno!
> 
> _It is possible that Operator Maple found your previous history endearing in some way. A number of Tenno seem to share that opinion._
> 
> How come Maple has such a simple designation? Most Tenno designations are quite silly.
> 
> _As one of the first Tenno to awaken, Operator Maple was able to pick a combat designation before most reasonable names were taken. Data suggests that pre-Orokin personal names were quite popular for a reason that is unknown to me._
> 
> How was the location of the research facility uncovered?
> 
> _Your efforts to upkeep the security of your operation was admirable, but the Executive board made the fatal mistake of relaying your recent messages through the Cytherean communications hub. As such, they were intercepted by a team of novice Tenno, and decrypted soon afterwards._
> 
> Of course they did. Of course they would relay high security messages through the cheapest and least secure communications hub station in Corpus space... say, what IS the official name of that Tenno grenade launcher?
> 
> _There have been no grenade launchers created by the Tenno weapon designers. However, based on your reports, I believe you are referring to the Tonkor grenade launcher, used by high ranking Nightwatch troops. I do not have any more time available for answering your questions. Goodbye._
> 
> Wait, come... stupid Cephalons, and stupider me for asking questions about a dumb grenade launcher. Well, guess I'll have to figure out what kind of a reputation I have on my own.

So, here I am, in my new hab block, in the service of my former enemies. If there is some sort of divine being, it must find putting me into situations like this really funny. To be fair, it is not such a bad situation, all things considered. Nothing is trying to kill me right now (although that will change as soon as high command finds out about my capture), I have a stable job, and, as it turns out, the only people that have heard my audio logs were the Tenno themselves, and they aren't exactly known for being talkative. Even the hab block is nice! Not terribly large, true, but it has a direct link to the Tenno databases, and it is actually connected to the outside world!

As it turns out, high security is not so necessary when there's an army of killer machines ready to destroy anything short of a fleet getting close to the Relay without authorisation. The Grinner even sent actual fleets,headed by Balor Fomorians no less, and the Tenno turned most of them into scrap Ferrite and Oxium. I was studying Void energy back then, and I remember Corpus propaganda teams had a field day with that. This might just be one of the safest places in the Solar System. All of this lines up very nicely with my goal of eternally running away from death. After all, running away is what I'm good at, even if I sometimes need to do it in a counterintuitive direction.

I think it would help my mental well being if I collected my thoughts on this place. Oh, and Tenno, if... no, when you inevitably get your hands on this text, hope you get a bit of amusement from it.

Well, where to start? Larunda Relay is in far orbit of Mercury, and it's far larger than I have imagined. We knew that the Tenno built orbital space stations, but the scale... wow. Even the Concourse and its environs, the only part of the Relay where Warframes are allowed, is fairly large, but it is tiny compared to the residential area alone, and the Relay has a large hydroponics facility, kubrow kennels, armoury, and even a commercial district! I don't know yet where did they find all the materials to construct the Relay, but I suspect that it accounts for a lot of missing ship reports, both for the Corpus and the Grineer.

As for how it looks? It's quite unlike anything I have ever seen. The Relay is somewhere between Orokin and Corpus in construction, with one aspect dominating over the other in certain places. For example, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in a rich corporation's headquarters around the Perrin Sequence hab blocks, were it not for the omnipresent Orokin script all around the Relay. Other places, like the Concourse, just need some gold metal and Arboriforms to be mistaken for an Orokin Tower.

I was only able to explore a part of this place in this day, but I'll go over what I did see. I decided to go to the Concourse first, as I still felt unsecure without my weaponry. I must admit, despite everything, I still feel a bit paranoid. Might want to hire a bodyguard. But, anyway, I digress. So, I hook up a navigator module to my suit, follow the AR path to the Concourse, and, as soon as I got to that floor, I had a pretty unpleasant experience. You see, somehow I missed the fact that this is the Warframe part of the Relay, and seeing a "Kestrel" walk up to the elevator was probably the last thing I wanted to see. Actually, I checked what's the official name for those: the Tenno call them Zephyr, and they are actually female! That giant codpiece is certainly not indicative of the fact.

I somehow managed to suppress my instincts to bolt it to the nearest airlock, and managed to keep my composure. It wasn't the same Zephyr that I killed way back then, its colours were brown and beige, and it wore some extra ornamentation and a different colour of energy ribbon. However, it still took a moment to wave at me before it continued on its merry way. I really hope that Zephyr isn't the same Warframe. I really, really do.

After my first encounter with a Warframe that did not include violence, I took a moment to fully regain composure, and then proceeded to the Perrin Sequence enclave. Soon after leaving the elevator room, I saw the Concourse itself.

Never in my life have I seen so many Warframes at one place.It didn't seem clear what is it that they were doing, but there was many of them just standing around. What stuck out to me the most is just how beautiful some of them were. As a researcher working under tight deadlines, I never took a moment to look at the Warframes themselves. All their adornments meant to me boiled down to a simple maxim: more bling, more bang. Now that I could stop and look, the beauty almost brought a tear to my eye. So much colour, so many scarves and capes and armour pieces. Many of the Warframes I saw that day wouldn't look out of place on a runway. Of course, I don't think their Lotus, or I guess, my Lotus would appreciate that.

Still, I was curious about what exactly was it that they were doing there, so I asked a guard who was standing in the vicinity. His response? Well, I managed to get a recording on my helm, it went like this:

> _You're new here, eh? These just stand around and look pretty. The other Warframes run off to the Syndicates, or that crazy Cephalon Simaris and Darvo upstairs, but these are something special. Do you... do you know how many times I have seen a bunch of pink Warframes show up with no discernible reason? Weird shit, but it gets even weirder. A friend of mine, Git, once managed to hack into their text communication systems. Only said that is was, and I quote, "silly", but never shared,erm, what exactly he saw._

With that nugget of knowledge, I proceeded to the Perrin Sequence enclave. It really looked like home: eggheads dabbling with machines, square shipping containers, and Corpus writing everywhere. Were it not for the two Warframes near the Executive-looking bloke in the back, it wouldn't be any different to the common room back on Viver. I was about to ask that guy about my weapons, but then someone screamed "By the Void, is that actually Kaiathas Kahn?"

After a bit of confusion, it turned out that the Corpus propaganda team released a holopic based on the incident that got me off Viver on the anniversary of the massacre, along with the combat footage of me taking down that Zephyr. I was cut off from civilisation at that point, so I never heard of that until now.

The holopic was a surprise hit, and I seem to be a minor celebrity. I guess it helps that it was based my my own, embellished version of the events. Well, this is not gonna help my plans of being a craven, long lived coward. Good thing the general public didn't find out about the audio logs. After that was cleared up, I got my weapons back, along with a parcel from Maple that I still haven't opened. Still haven't had the chance to try them out, but my Dera and my Prova certainly look a lot better. They're way cleaner looking, and the Shock Camo was really brightened up. So, I left the enclave, after giving out a couple of autographs, slightly exaggerated battle stories, and getting the contact info for some pretty clever researchers.

I decided to then proceed to Darvo's store. Darvo is a bit of a legend among crewmen. Back in the day, he was pushed as the next big thing by the Board of Directors. He's Frohd Bek's kid, and was next in line for a position on the board. There were all kinds of stories about his prowess. My favourite was always the one about him getting a crate of Warframe blueprints for five platinum, three credits, and a backrub. Then, when the Tenno appeared, all the stories just... stopped. The fact that he was on Larunda explains a lot about what happened.

I got out of the Concourse and took the elevator up to Darvo. As I approached his shop, I saw a large, orange Cephalon projection closely follow a Nova out of the room to the right. I know Warframes aren't supposed to have feelings, but I swear that Warframe shuddered. Guess that was "crazy" Simaris for future reference. Leaving behind the unpleasant thoughts of what might make a Warframe shudder, I entered Darvo's shop. The helmet recorder once again picked up an interesting conversation I had.

> _Oh, hello there! You aren't a Warframe! Are you Divat? Trust me, that shipment of Control modules is coming, there was just an little miscommunication with the Lotus!_
> 
> **Clem, Grakata!**
> 
> Uhh, sorry, I'm Kaiathas, just got here. Are you really Darvo Bek?
> 
> **Clem!**
> 
> _Don't worry, Clem, I can answer that myself. Yes, I am, and yes, father disowned me. My clod of a father was going on and on for 80 years that "Profit's Profit, however you may achieve it", but as soon as I do business with the Tenno, he's suddenly like "how can you do this to me, this is heresy". So, can I get you anything? I'm doing a totally legit sale without any stolen goods whatsoever!_
> 
> **Clem!**
> 
> _Yup, Asa Syandana for 35 platinum, totally not stolen from a transport freighter raided by the Tenno!_
> 
> You know, I always wanted one of those, but 35 platinum...
> 
> _Sorry, I don't do any additional discounts. Actually, wait, you're named Kaiathas? As in, Kaiathas Kahn?_
> 
> Yup.
> 
> _I knew I saw that face somewhere before! Don't know how you got to be here, but I'll drop that Syandana to 30 platinum for you. I know we are supposed to be on the same side, but driving a Prova up that Zephyr's Void regions was really funny! Isn't that right, Clem?"_
> 
> **Hehehe, Clem!**
> 
> Nice. Say, do you accept Mercury colonist bank accounts?
> 
> _Accept them? Half the station uses them! Just type in the details here._
> 
> Okay, thanks. So, what's the story with Clem?

About half an hour later, I was out of that shop with one shiny scarf and one hell of a story to tell the kids, if I ever have them. I decided it's time to call it a day at this point, and headed to my new hab block.

The residential part of the Relay is large and donut-shaped. Besides the hab blocks in varying styles embedded in the walls of the area, there is also a large number of shops selling food, clothing, simple electronics, and other small things people need to live. The food variety is astonishing for a space station! There's everything, from bread to Martian Oasis Jellyfish. I guess all the food on the ships the Tenno raid has to go somewhere. There are also some foodstuffs I have never seen in my life before. I'm told that the New Loka syndicate has managed to restore a number of plant species that existed on Old Earth. In that case, I'm quite grateful to them, because this lovely beverage called coffee is made from a kind of bean that was extinct until about two years ago! The drink is very pleasantly bitter, and I think I'm in love with it.

So, here I am, sitting with coffee by me, about to call it a day. I need a proper research team tomorrow, but I think I'll have a bit of a nap first. But before that, I should probably open that parcel Maple left me. I know he or she upgraded my weapons, but I'm getting a feeling that it's gonna be an explosive toy bear or explosive Bri's pants, or something like that. Paranoia never failed me before, so I'm gonna open this box with a very long stick.

* * *

Well, nothing exploded. Well, actually, I exploded with surprise. How in the Void do the Tenno even get all these mods, and why would they give them to me? Serration, Split Chamber, Pressure Point, Molten Impact, even Spoiled Strike! Of course, not everything is so good for me. There was scrap of paper at the bottom of the box. It has the words "be prepared" written on it. I have no idea what to make of that. Might be advice, might be a clue to something, might just be Maple playing with my nerves. Considering what they spent the last three days doing, I'm inclined towards the latter option. Kaiathas, signing out.


	8. Inaros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4zk4ss/research_report_inaros/

> Here I am, in my hab block, about to compile all the data on Inaros we managed to obtain. Might as well do another audio log. So, where do I begin?
> 
> Yesterday, I got up after a slightly prolonged nap. Ten hours is still a nap, right? Anyway, I had a list of contacts, and I had to get a whole research team together in a day. Considering the nature of those contacts, that meant going back to the syndicate enclaves near the Concourse.
> 
> There are six main syndicates working with the Tenno: Red Veil, Steel Meridian, New Loka, Perrin Sequence, Arbiters of Hexis, and Cephalon Suda. It is my understanding that some of them frequently feud with each other, but I don't quite understand the relationships right now. I sure hope that won't come back to bite me, because my research team has members from three different syndicates! It is... quite odd working with them. Back when I was with the Corpus, the party line, so to speak, was that all of them were dangerous rebels. Red Veil eats babies, New Loka wants to kill everyone with the smallest augment, Steel Meridian is still dumb, Grineer scum, Arbiters of Hexis are a kangaroo court of psychopaths, the Perrin Sequence are filthy heretics, and Cephalon Suda is a robotic uprising waiting to happen! At least, that's what they told us.
> 
> So, might as well go over my experiences that day. First off, it was off to the Perrin Sequence enclave, hoping I don't see any Zephyrs with uncanny familiarity to yours truly. Thankfully, nothing of the sort. Just a bunch of red and black Warframes standing opposed to another group of hot pink Warframes. Those Tenno really are a bit crazy.
> 
> So, I enter the Perrin Enclave, and, once again, I get assaulted by a bunch of fanboys and fangirls. After some smooth talking and smoother autograph giving, I figure out that some of them were actually the researchers I needed. Quite impressive credentials, too. Advanced degrees in robotics, Void manipulation, Void energy manipulation, and a really handy custom Osprey for carrying around the various tools. Furthermore, a good chunk of them seemed completely starstuck! I really need to see that holopic, just so I can figure out what would force a bunch of ex-Corpus to give out so many favours. I mean, we literally worship Profit!
> 
> Next up was New Loka. To be honest, the only thing I had to go on them back then was the Corpus propaganda. Still, they were responsible for coffee, so surely they couldn't be so bad? As I opened the door, I was quite... surprised.
> 
> It wasn't because of the actual trees growing within a space station. Neither was is the pool of water, and an important looking woman somehow floating over it. Rather, it was one of the acolytes there dragging me out of the enclave.
> 
> After a bit of quick communication and barely suppressed survival reflexes, it turned out that the New Loka folks just lack a bit of social skills. Apparently, the people I needed to meet were currently in the residential area, and the acolyte was merely directing me where to go. With that misunderstanding out of the way, we quickly made progress to a nice little secluded drinks shop on floor -2. Actually, it is not just any drink shop, it is run by New Loka directly, and specialises in coffee variations. I was already in love with the beverage, but finding out about all these versions of it made it even better!
> 
> The persons I needed to meet were a pair of New Loka scientists, male and female. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I can't recall their names. Nevertheless, the conversation with them was quite pleasant. I think the helmet recorder caught that conversation, now, what were their names...
>
>> _Oh, hello! You're Kaiathas Kahn, right? Amaryn told us to expect you! Please, have a seat!_
>> 
>> Yes, pleased to meet you as well, even though getting here has been a bit of an unpleasant experience, but everything got cleared up!
>> 
>> _Oh, I'm sorry! You have to excuse some of the younger acolytes! We don't get out a lot early on. Anyway, my name is Rosidea!_
>> 
>> And what about you?
>> 
>> _What about me? Oh, you mean Takil? Sorry, he really doesn't like to talk to people who he doesn't know well. Trust me, though, he'll be as good as anyone else you hired!_
>> 
>> Well, I don't see a reason to disbelieve both you and my friends at the Perrin Sequence. So, what is it that you two exactly do?
>> 
>> _Why, we are experts with biomechanical systems! I think our lovely Perrin allies let you know that, right?_
>> 
>> Oh, yes, they definitely did. I just wanted to hear it from yourselves. After we're done here, just go to Cephalon Cordylon on floor... 4, I think, and he'll take you through the rest of the process.
>> 
>> _That is great! This is all great! We're so happy not to have to cut up Infested Ancients anymore!_
>> 
>> Wait, Loka cuts up Infested?
>> 
>> _Oh, yes! It really helps us purify the plants on Holy Earth! Say, have you ever seen the inside of a charger? It's..._
> 
> Oh right, Rosidea and Takil. What followed was about an hour of elaboration about the details of Technocyte infection that I really did **NOT** want to know. I have absolutely no idea how can someone be so cheery while simultaneously speaking all those... things! It's a good thing the coffee was so good, otherwise I might have had an inadvertent reaction to all the mental pictures Rosidea brought up. Like curling up in a ball and shaking. No wonder Takil doesn't talk. As it turned out later, though, they were really good with Inaros's more biological systems, even with Takil's utter refusal to speak a single word during the examination of the Warframe. Rosidea just relayed his discoveries to me, and it all worked out.
> 
> So, New Loka. I mean, restoring Earth to its former glory and resettling it is an admirable goal, but their philosophy and methods seems to attract some very odd people. Only in Loka can you see someone cheerfully describing how the breached Corpus exosuits attach to an Infested crewman's skin. Eeeeeugh. Good at heart, though. Also, coffee!
> 
> As I began repressing my memories of that conversation to the same part of my brain holding the numerous traumas caused by my childhood on Neptune, I returned back to the Concourse, so I could find the contact I was given in Red Veil. Their enclave is certainly striking. A large, burning tree in the center, with a path of burning coals underneath it. Beyond the tree, a torture table, overlooked by contained Infested.
> 
> Wow, how in the name of the Void and the Orokin towers within them can something so ludicrously... so... I don't even have an adjective that can describe them! They are pushing the "dark executioners" angle so hard, I'm actually pretty much convinced that they start playing with kubrows or buying candy to children, or doing... soft stuff as soon as they know nobody's looking. Nothing like them can possibly exist, right? I mean, their name is Red Veil, it implies that they are hiding something beyond that veil. The coals didn't even burn me!
> 
> Wait, why am I even going about this? There was something far more interesting that happened there. For, one, THE INFESTED ACTUALLY BROKE CONTAINMENT ON ME... Oh, sorry, I'll keep it down! Forgot I had neighbours for a moment.
> 
> So, in an immaculate display of just how much the universe hates me, one of the chargers contained in the enclave somehow managed to dislodge the glass from its cage, and tried to make a run for the nearest Red Veil acolyte. Turns out, this is the first time this has ever happened. Lovely. I was just about to make a run for it, and Void take the rest of them, but then I remembered: I am Kaiathas Kahn, slayer of Warframes, vanquisher of Grineer. Well, slayer of a Warframe, but that doesn't sound as good. Nonetheless, I had a reputation to upkeep. Although running might help me in the short term, a reputation could be useful in the long term.
> 
> Remembering from my talk with Rosidea that modern Corpus exosuits are mostly immune to the Technocyte virus if they are properly sealed, I thanked past me for being paranoid enough not to take it off for something more comfortable. I had my helmet close up to fully conceal my face, and then took my Dera of my back to shoot at the charger. A burst at the creature's legs... and it was already dead. Wow. I still haven't gotten attuned enough with my new and improved weapons to fit anything but the most basic mods, but even with then, it was more powerful than any weapon I have ever used.
> 
> All the other Infested abominations soon met the same fate, and my undeserved reputation got inflated even further. After a couple of thank yous, no, wait, "our gratitude"s, it was simple enough to find the people I needed. They are actually really competent at doing Warframe dissection, and light on the whole "cleansing fire" stuff. I still hold to my opinion that all that crap is just an intimidation tactic.
> 
> After the incident in the Red Veil enclave, it was just a matter of taking a trip to the Steel Meridian enclave, and then gathering up all the various nonaligned people. The latter part of my day was, thankfully, simple and without incident. As for Steel Meridian...
> 
> They are former Grineer, but something remained of their culture. As soon as I entered their room, I was unnerved by seeing all the clone soldiers in such a spartan environment. It reminded me of the incident that started the chain of events that led me into this whole mess, and that was further compounded by the fact a good chunk of the Steel Meridian operatives there looked just like the officer I shot back then. The enclave's reaction was not much different from mine, with half of the room turning to face me. We were silently staring at each other for far too long, but, thankfully, a single, cheerful "Clem!" broke up the tension. Guess the lil' guy works with the syndicate, too.
> 
> What I needed from Steel Meridian was a bodyguard; they have a number of contacts with various mercenary groups. Although the boss lady in the back was reluctant to do business with a former Corpus crewman, seeing my account balance loosened her up considerably. Glad we aren't too different. At any rate, Meridian says that they have a perfect bodyguard for me, and I'll be able to meet him tomorrow.
> 
> So, that was my day. Now, time to start the report. Kaiathas, out.
> 
> Honoured Executives, I... wait, I work with the Tenno now. Delete. Huh, the recorder is still on.

Honourable Tenno, Inaros, also known as "Pharaoh" by my former employers, is a remarkable piece of technology, even for a Warframe. The specimen my team and I have dissected was lost in battle after its Operator got a bit too overconfident and jumped into a Nullifier bubble covered by 5 Corpus Techs during a Sortie mission with a fire hazard. The resulting hail of fire completely destroyed the Warframe's revival surge system, and it will take some time before it can be fielded in battle again. Truly, a reminder to all Tenno to know their limits even if they are as high as Inaros's.

Now, my syndicate colleagues have asked of me to write an identification guide for new field operatives. Inaros is a masculine Warframe, most easily distinguished by its thin waist and the bandage-like material covering it. Its proportions are odd, almost skeletal, and it possessess two distinct helmet configurations: one has a cloth-like flap hanging from its back side, and another is reminiscent of a kubrow's head. In a Tenno cell, Inaros takes the role of a secondary healer and a "damage magnet", so to speak. Syndicate operatives, it would be prudent for you to keep back from the Warframe and let it attract all the attention, and support it by taking down the distracted enemy forces. If Inaros throws a swarm of insect beings on enemy forces, don't be afraid to move in closer to them! The nanobot swarm will replenish your vitality, if you took damage during the mission.

Looking under the folds of Inaros reveals that his Void energy systems are incredibly simple. Many essential systems have been replaced with additional armour plating, most notably the shield systems, and the Warframe's abilities are achieved with small, efficient subsystems. Of note is that most of Inaros's inner armour plating is made from a mostly biological substance, even more so than regular Warframe plating. Available Orokin archives make mention of a similar material being developed from Infested tissue, so it is quite probable that it's the material used in the Warframe's endoskeleton. This allows for easy regeneration of damaged tissue, and simple constuction into the Warframe's scarab swarms due to the nature of the material.

Inaros possesses four abilities, as well as an highly unusual reaction to critical trauma. The following are our research notes on them:

  * Upon taking damage that would normally require the use of a revival surge, Inaros constructs a sarcophagus around him, which allows him to drain the life force of enemy forces around him, potentially allowing him to return to full functionality. The mechanisms behind this capability are quite fascinating: upon detection of critical damage, Inaros's endoskeleton is expelled outwards, creating the sarcophagus, which serves as a protective shell for the more sensitive parts of the Warframe. Then, specialised flying nanobots, capable of converting living tissue and some metals into the biological material making up the endoskeleton of the Warframe, also used for the Warframe's other abilities, are sent out against nearby hostile units. If enough of this material is acquired, it can be used to repair the damage incurred on the Warframe. If not, the sarcophagus allows for easy retrieval of the damaged Inaros, as happened with the specimen used for this research.

  * Dessication is quite literally nothing more a blast of sand (or dirt, or rust) backed with nanobots. The systems on the Warframe passively gather loose material when Sandstorm is used and send it into a pocket of the Void, from which it is then expelled whenever this ability is used. Enemies of the Warframe distracted in such a matter are a great complement to the nanobots used by it, because it makes them open for devastating melee attacks. During such attacks, nanobots automatically attach to the Warframe's melee weapons, and convert a large chunk of the unfortunate victim's mass into more of the biological substance for Inaros.

  * Devour uses some of the material gathered during Sandstorms and teleports it on the ability's victim in order to entomb them, which is then pulled by an adaptation of Mag's own Pull ability, and devoured by Inaros's omnipresent nanobot assistants. The most mechanically complex part of the ability, and, indeed, the entire Warframe, is the its ability to "raise the dead". If the target dies while being devoured, the loose material which kept it immobile encloses it with nanobot assistance. The nanobots then proceed the control the corpse of the victim.

  * Sandstorm causes Inaros to rapidly spin around. The resulting duststorm protects the Warframe. Honestly, besides the gathering of loose materials, there is nothing else to be said about this ability. It's a storm of sand. Or rust. Or dust. You get the idea. Truly, elegant in its simplicity.

  * Finally, Scarab Swarm sacrifices some of the Warframe's endoskeleton to augment the, you guessed it, nanobots, turning them into "scarabs". These circle around the Warframe, acting as a layer of quite literally reactive armour; the protective layer of nanobots becomes denser near areas where Inaros is taking damage. Parts of this swarm can be expelled at enemies, where the nanobots do their usual work of converting mass into useful material, or, thanks to their upgrade to "scarabs", medigel for allied Warframes and operatives.




In conclusion, Inaros is a perfect example of the saying "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail". Although its designer might have been single minded with the usage of nanobots, the design is, without a doubt, highly efficient, even if it forces me to use the word nanobot far too often. Although Orokin documentation of the Warframe has been deleted due to its prototype rebelling against the Empire (as told in a legend of the lost sand people of Mars), it is safe to assume that the Warframe was meant for extended operations behind enemy lines; it is able to remain functional in spite of almost all hardships, and it can easily repair itself to pristine condition.

Nevertheless, as previously established, Tenno operatives are advised to know their limits. You are not indestructible, but neither should you be too cautious; fight on the frontline, but watch out for any Nullifier crewmen aiming for the crotch.

Those looking for more technical explanations can contact Cephalon Cordylon aboard your relay of choice. Do note this requires special free movement provisions for your Warframes. Speak with the infomation deck near the spacedock entrance for more details. May your aim be true, and Bursas attacking you few in number,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist


	9. Valkyr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/4zv6z5/research_report_valkyr/

> What a day. Right now, I am aboard a Perrin Sequence dropship, heading back to Larunda. Nobody's listening in, I checked my cabin for observation devices, and even if I missed some, I'm pretty sure my new bodyguard's equipment in the neighbouring cabin over is disabling it. so, doing a nice log about everything that just went down will probably help my nerves.
> 
> For what happened, the day began so great! Actually, no, it was pretty terrible. I was awakened by my hab block's terminal. It had a message from Cephalon Cordylon that I am now authorised to leave Larunda relay on Tenno business. As soon as I was done reading that message, I get another one, this time from the Perrin Sequence. They asked me to "impart years of your legendary combat experience" upon "our future best operatives". Of course, this was "merely a plea for a busy legend such as yourself". In translation from Corpus talk: we scratched your back, now you better bloody well babysit this bunch of recruits so green, they're practically plants, or else. Just as I was about to curse the Void for forcing me into combat, I heard some noise right behind me. In a single move, I jumped from my chair and entered a combat stance with my Prova, only to be greeted by a stylised Kubrow. Gee, I wonder if all these things were related. How in the Void and all the Profit waiting within it did Maple even get in there?
> 
> However, before having to go pretend to be a hero of the Corpus, there were more pressing matters: namely, getting my personal bodyguard. Soon enough, I was in the Steel Meridian enclave, and it would seem the ex-Grineer are actually pretty good at finding the right people for the right job.
> 
> His name is Selva Zinik, and he's a solo ex-Corpus mercenary. Now, normally, folks like that are executives with too much money and not enough common sense, but the fact that Selva's been at it for four years speaks to me that he has a pretty good idea of what to do. His equipment certainly helps matters: he uses an Opticor, backed with a Detron and a Lecta. More importantly, he got his hands on a Fog Scrambus exosuit! That pretty much means I won't have to worry about some invisible bastard sneaking up on me to prematurely end my life! It's a rather unusual version of the exosuit, though, as it is reinforced at the arms and the chest with Ferrite plating, as well as possessing a belt with a number of very large pouches; obviously an adaptation towards Selva's line of work. He's even pretty cheap, only requiring food, shelter, and standard Crewman pay. I was able to offload those particular expenses to the Lotus by claiming him as part of my research team.
> 
> So, what's the fine print on this deal? Well, Selva's an odd fellow. For one, he absolutely refuses to take off his exosuit for any reason, Fog helmet included. As a result, the suit has acquired a... particular aroma. Well, okay, it freaking stinks like Infested vomit. He's also got an interesting personality. Here's how our meeting went:
>
>> Hello. You must be the bodyguard Steel Meridian has found me! What's your name?
>> 
>> _Selva Zinik. Lone mercenary. Four years of experience. Won't find any better._
>> 
>> Well, my name is Kaiathas Kahn, and it appears I'm your new boss. Pleased to meet you. How did you get one of those suits?
>> 
>> _Took it off a stupid guard. Couldn't even outsmart my gun._
>> 
>> Uhh... okay. Can you take your helmet off so I can see who I'm working with? I'm pretty sure there's no need for full combat gear right now.
>> 
>> _Can't do, boss._
>> 
>> Why?
>> 
>> _..._
>> 
>> Uhh, okay. Your hab block is at floor -4. Here's the key, and ...here's my personal communications frequency. If you need any directions, call me.
>> 
>> _Won't need to, boss. Won't fail you._
> 
> Weird, but not any weirder than the kind of stuff I had to go through in the last three years of my life. True, the odour of that suit is almost a biochemical weapon, his voice, heavily distorted by the helmet's systems as it is, reminds me a bit too much of Project Nullifier's eggheads, but I can live with it. After seeing what he could do in the mission, any doubts in my mind were pretty much dispelled.
> 
> As I walked to back to my hab block to retrieve my full combat gear, and as Selva merrily scooted along to his own, I started thinking about what kind of a mission was to follow. Considering my morning, it was safe to assume that we would be fighting with one of Maple's toys. Still, I had a sense of dread, as if something horrible was about to happen. I tried to brush it aside as the standard feeling before a combat operation. If I had known just what would happen, I would have rather volunteered to personally retrieve the next Warframe I'd be dissecting.
> 
> About two hours later, both of us were at the Perrin Enclave to receive our mission briefing, along with the new recruits. Neither of them could have been more than thirty, and they were all keeping a healthy distance from Selva. Selva himself was somehow nibbling on a small sandwich, which he pulled out of one of his pouches, with his Fog helmet still on. I have no idea how he made any progress on the meal, but it was certainly a sight to see.
> 
> The gist of the briefing was that we were to assist a Tenno undertaking a capture mission, with the target being a Pluto weapons dealer. He was intentionally fanning a gang war on one of the residential space stations in orbit of the planet in order to push his wares, and Perrin Sequence saw it as an opportunity to seize his assets, and send a message to any people who did not agree with the Syndicate's mantra of profit through cooperation. Our secondary objective was to find as much of the dealer's quittances and other useful legal documents as possible. We were, of course, instructed to let the Warframe do most of the heavy lifting. There was a bit of protest about bringing along Selva, but him extending his Opticor to its full length quickly reminded the new recruits about just what kind of firepower he would use to keep us alive.
> 
> Slightly later, we were already on Perrin's dropship, en route to Pluto. For the whole journey, Selva was just silently praying for Profit. That reminded me of some of the indoctrinated Crewmen Viver imported from Neptune, but Selva had too much of a personality for him to have went through those temples. I was the exception, not the rule.
> 
> In the meantime, I was containing my own fear of getting killed in a combat operation after all I went through, when a very unpleasant thought hit me. This weapons dealer, well, he was scum. I can understand profiteering from war, but instigating a conflict just to earn credits from it just feels... wrong, despite the best effort of Neptune's priests. Still, his men can't be all bad, right? I realised I never really killed anyone who really counted as a proper human being. Infested are abominations, the Grineer are indoctrinated clones, with the exceptions either getting killed or running off to Steel Meridian, but Corpus... At least it was a capture mission. From all the footage of Tenno raids I have seen, it was pretty clear to me that the Tenno only want to go through these missions as soon as possible, killing soldiers only if they stand in their way. Well, there are several exceptions, like Ember and Equinox, but I had a feeling I wouldn't be seeing any of those Warframes. If it came down to it, I'd defend myself; after all, I'm a selfish bastard, but I'd really hope that I was putting nothing more than a product of Neptune out of its misery.
> 
> So, with an intensely unpleasant combination of fear, adrenaline, and preemptive guilt, the Perrin operatives, Selva, and I entered the weapon dealer's ship at the designated insertion point via stealth capsules launched from the drop ship. Soon enough, our Tenno support jumped in through a ventilation grate above us, and, sure enough, it was Maple's Ivara.
> 
> I never really got a good look at the Warframe, being as it was that my only contact with her was the split second before I got knocked out and forcibly teleported. The Ivara was a perfect example of what we believed to be high priority Warframes back in the active research team: a beautiful dark blue/white colour scheme, with cosmetic armour plates on her legs and shoulders, and a odd, slightly leaf-like cape on her back. The Warframe had a symbol of New Loka prominently displayed on its chest, and it wielded a Paris Prime and an Proto-Glaive, which shared the colour scheme of the Warframe. Honestly, I preferred calling that thing the Technocyte-pattern Glaive. Soon after the Warframe dropped out of the ventilation system, it was followed by a lithe, black Kavat.
> 
> The Ivara waved at us, and then proceeded to jump off in the direction of our capture target. My best odds of survival were in being near her, and keeping up with the Warframe and her quest to go through every nook and cranny of the ship searching for quittances was hard enough, especially considering the fact that our team as actively being shot at. Still, this gave me an excuse not to kill the crewmen defending the ship, so I only shot out an occasional burst with my Dera towards the Moas and Ospreys in the ship, in order to make an impression of being an useful member of the team. The Perrin operatives attempted to kill anyone opposing them, but after a few choice words from me, they soon realized that keeping close enough to the Warframe was far more important than inflating their kill counts. The only member of the team how didn't have any problems was Selva, who just lazily glided along on the Scrambus exosuit's skates. Still, whether by luck or by some preternatural ability, he realized my lack of desire to kill any crewmen, so he just provided some suppressing fire with his Detron to disrupt the aim of the ship's defenders, without actually incurring any casualties.
> 
> As it turned out, all my practice at running away from scary sounds and scarier guns served me well, and the few shots hitting me easily bounced off the shields. However, nothing in the world goes that nicely for me, so running from gunfire while attempting to appear heroic and chasing after a millenia-old teenager piloting a weapon of mass destruction which got me into this whole mess would soon prove to be the last of my problems.
> 
> As Ivara was passing through a Nullifier bubble, she caught one too many stray shots from a nearby Tech and went down. She didn't have a weapon light enough to use in her current condition, so he couldn't assist us. Now, normally, Warframes in solo operations just elect to immediately surge the revival systems and get back up to fight. This was not the case. Maple was either dumb enough to actually count on me to revive the Warframe, or just wanted to test me. The Void can take that test, as far as I'm concerned!
> 
> You see, here was our situation: we were in one of those prefab ship segments you can see in over half the solar system; specifically, the one with the overhead bridge branching off into paths leading down to the level below, with four storage lockers near it. Think it's intended as a gathering place for the crewmen when the rich guys want to make a declaration, but that's besides the point. What mattered in my current situation was this: Me and the newbies were on one side of the bridge. Ivara was downed somewhere along the middle, guarded by a Nullifier and a Tech which were just about to face us and fill us with bullets, and under there was a whole swarm of elites and Moas, kept at bay by Selva. Maple's Kavat got stuck somewhere in the back, fighting a small band of crewmen we missed. The Perrin operatives were visibly shaking. Well, so was I, but I got some dampeners installed in my exosuit long time ago just in case something like this happened, so, outwardly, I appeared as stoic as ever. Worst of all, the alarms in the ship were blaring at the time, so a Bursa was already en route to fight us. There was no way we'd survive for 20 seconds, waiting for Ivara's revival surge.
> 
> Honestly? Didn't really see us getting out of this alive. The Tech was pretty deep under the bubble, so picking him off was out of the question. Taking down the bubble would take too much time, even if the newbies helped me, as the Tech would fill me with plasma by the time we could kill him. Trust me, I went through enough experiments over at Project Nullifier to know exactly how long it took to take a bubble down. As for taking cover, well, the Bursa would eat us alive, and, even if it couldn't, Selva could keep the lower floor guys busy just so long before having to retreat to regenerate his shields. I don't think I was ever scared more in my entire life, and that's including the time I had to fight a Zephyr. At least that time, I had the advantage of surprise. This time, I didn't.
> 
> Or, at least, that's what I thought, before finding one last strand of hope to cling to. I know more about Nullifier bubbles than almost anyone still alive in this solar system, and one of their characteristics is that they block any projectile created by the standard ammo conversion systems of today. The idea is, of course, if someone is still using primitive battery based, or, even worse, physical bullet based weaponry, then there is no need to deploy a Nullifier against them. However, what the designers didn't account for were thrown melee weapons, and a well placed Prova throw could solve one of my current problems. It was risky and highly likely to get me killed, but it was better that the situation I was currently in, and a long shot is better than getting shot. At this point, I didn't really care too much about killing crewmen just doing their jobs: it was them or me, and I'm too much of a selfish bastard to pick the former option.
> 
> With a quick, desperate move, I flung the Prova with my left arm straight at the Nullifier crewman. It went through the shield, as expected, reducing its size by a bit, before colliding with the crewman's left arm. With a blood-curdling scream, he fell to the ground, convulsing from the electricity coursing through his body. The bubble went down, and now it was time to try and take down the Tech with the Dera.
> 
> However, once again, the Tech got a lucky shot, hitting me squarely on the right arm. The shield absorbed the lethality of the impact, but the shot was still powerful enough to make me drop my weapon. So, here I was, unarmed, against a Tech crewman who was already shooting at me, and the newbies were doing absolutely nothing useful that I could see. There was no time to pick the rifle back up, and hiding in cover would only turn my problem from fighting a Tech unarmed to fighting a Tech and a Bursa unarmed. So, what could I do? I ran. Mostly straight into the Tech. I don't know if it was the best option, but I banked that the sudden movement would throw his aim off enough for me to stay alive, and I wasn't running exactly straight at him, so he'd have to adapt his aim.
> 
> Of course, I took a few hits. One went through the shields, but it was absorbed by the exosuit's padding. Still hurts pretty bad. Nevertheless, I got in range of the Tech, and then, it was only a matter of forcing him to drop the gun. Fortunately, over my history of finding every possible method of extending my life, I learned a very useful type of punch into the arm, which forces pretty much anything carrying something as heavy as a Supra to drop its weapon. Well, assuming there is no metal armour on the arm, but Tech exosuits, thankfully, only use padding. I hit hard, I hit fast, and it was then one on one against a man about a head taller than me.
> 
> Then, I attempted a trick one of the old Tech-Sergeants in Project Nullifier taught me. It was a choking tactic with a small strip of cloth, such as the Asa Syandana I had on my back. Apparently, saved his life in a number of bar brawls and Moa contest disputes. However, before I could reach the ethereal fabric on my back, the Tech used my small, momentary distraction to hit me hard in the face. The good old boxhead helmet kept me alive, but it still sent me straight to the floor. The Tech must have been a combat Tech-Commander, judging by just how strong his strength augmentations were.
> 
> Well, that was it. There was nothing more I could do. I was still reeling from the impact as the Tech was picking his Supra back up. Suddenly, a laser lit up him up. About a second later, it was replaced by an actinic blast of energy, which took off the Tech's left arm, leaving him rolling on the ground in pain. Thankfully, Selva overheard my battle on the upper floor, and positioned himself on one of the stairways leading up to the bridge. As I went down, that provided a perfect opportunity for him to charge up and fire his Opticor.
> 
> After that, I quickly got up, and sprayed some medigel on Maple's Ivara in order to get her back up. As I did that, I took a moment to see the situation which unfolded around me. The Perrin Sequence newbies were actually being slightly useful, as opposed to what I thought; they were suppressing a squad which was headed through the way we came in, although they turned to face me and my fight far too often for their good. Selva was actually really handy with the skates, and most of the crewmen on the bottom level were dead or otherwise disabled. As for me, I was shaking with fear, pain, and hatred for Maple for forcing me into this situation. However, what Selva and the newbies saw was a hero, running to fight a Tech-Commander with his bare hands. Yet another addition to my entirely undeserved, growing reputation in Larunda. The syndicate will probably want my helmet cam, too, so they can get even more green recruits. The Nullifier crewman was still shaking, although it was probably the Prova. The Tech was still alive, but in a pretty bad shape. It seemed like an eternity to me, but, after looking over the events that occured, it all took place in about ten seconds.
> 
> At any rate, the medigel did its job, and the Ivara was back on her feet. Just in time too, as an Isolator Bursa was running in from the direction of our capture target. I expected yet another tough fight, but I was mercifully wrong. Ivara just got her "Energy Bow" out, or whatever its official name was, jumped over the Bursa, and took it down with one volley. I picked up my weapons, and then we resumed trying to keep up with her.
> 
> The rest of the mission went without incident. The weapons dealer decided to entrench and try and fight us. What an idiot. So, as Ivara got to her dropship, we watched her go away and waited for our own extraction team. I was attempting to look brave, when all I was was battered and shaken, the operatives were doing the same with far less success, and Selva was just munching on some unidentifiable fruit under his Fog helmet. I have no idea how he does it.
> 
> And now, here I am. We are about to dock with Larunda. I know it was about my life, but, for some reason, I still feel guilty for all those crewmen that got killed during the mission. There were... 8, I think. I don't know, I think a small break from all this work will serve me well so I can collect my thoughts. Saw too many of the crewmen on Viver break from stress, and I'm hardy, but even the toughest metal breaks with time... hey, looks like Baro Ki'Teer is on Larunda! Maybe a small shopping spree will help my nerves. Kaiathas Kahn, out.

* * *

> What an insufferable prick. Kaiathas, out.

Honourable Tenno, today, my team and I have obtained a Warframe that is, needless to say, quite interesting to me, as well as my ex-Corpus colleagues. Valkyr in her current form is a product of the Zanuka project, the traitorous Alad V's literal pet project. As much as I'd like to say that this means I know more about Valkyr, or the Warframe that existed before the labs, that is not the case. Alad V, may he infest his own credits, was very secretive about the information he gathered even while he was still loyal to the board, and once he went rogue, he pretty much cut off all access to the relevant data. As for the Tenno's own data, all of it is either meant for Cephalon use only and/or above my security clearance level. So, before the Valkyr prototype was tortured, changed, and turned into the incarnation of rage, what was Valkyr? We can only speculate. The limited data we have managed to gather suggest a different Warframe, but her systems suggest her abilities only truly changed in style by the Zanuka experiments. I believe Valkyr Prime will turn out to be nothing more than a more visually attractive, silent version of the Warframe that is, as I understand it, quite popular amongst Tenno operatives. The fact that this is the only Warframe to make actual human sounds makes quite an impression on its enemies. I know that some sects of the Corpus see Valkyr as an angel of vengeance, to be venerated as a harbinger of doom upon those not favoured by Profit. While the mainstream Corpus see this as borderline heresy, even the most foolhardy crewmen respect the need to keep the beast at a range. Those who don't generally don't survive to impart faulty advice.

The specimen my team has been provided shows just how hardy the Warframe is. The Valkyr in question was operated by a recently awakened operator, and even then, it took concentrated Ignis fire, numerous Sobek blasts, several Vulkar headshots, and a freak Hyekka accident to put down the Warframe for good. Despite all that, no core systems have been damaged, and I believe the Warframe will be ready to fight again within only several days. The dissection provided us with some useful insight that suggest that the Warframe's rage is not the only source of its power.

For our syndicate allies, an identification guide. Valkyr is a Warframe with two distinct appearances. Both share a somewhat robust, feminine physique, but that is where most of the similarities end. The more common form of the Warframe is distinguished by uncovered circuitry, and a skin evocative of a muscular structure (which is quite similar to the actual role of that layer of the Warframe's construction). In comparison, the Gersemi variant exhibits a far smoother exoskeleton, with the most distinguishing part of it being the small wing-like structures on her shoulders. Valkyr has a number of helmet variants, but they do not really share a common design theme; focus on the Warframe's body. In a Tenno cell, Valkyr's role is to attract attention by running right into the fray and brutally slaughtering anything standing in her way. We suggest assisting her by focusing on any Nullifier units in her vicinity, or just picking off weak targets out of her melee range.

In spite of the existence of the Gersemi variant of Valkyr, there are no functional differences between it and the regular version of the Warframe. The data we have access to states that this is due to the fact that all Valkyr Warframes currently in use are based on the tortured prototype. In a way of speaking, the Gersemi variant merely heals the physical scarring; the true damage is as of yet irreparable. Our own specimen is of the basic design, and it is quite obvious from inspection that the cosmetic exterior parts of the Warframe are non-existent. However, this does not affect the Warframe's durability in any way, as Valkyr's significant armour plating, constructed of very powerful and very thick Ferrite plating, is located underneath the surface. This did have an impact on its shield generators, much like seen with Inaros, although it must be noted that the plating is not nearly that impactful on the Warframe's systems. It must be noted that, in spite of all this, Valkyr is surprisingly nimble due to her highly powerful "muscles", although their location above the majority of the armour plating means that Valkyr is not able to achieve the kind of durability that would be expected from her construction. Nevertheless, this allows her to absorb the impact from long falls and powerful enemy weapons far better than other Warframes.

As most Warframes, Valkyr possesses four abilities, and our findings on them are as follows:

  * Ripline uses compressed Void energy to create a grappling line. This principle is also seen in the construction of Orokin Arboriforms, which are partly biological, partly energy based plants seen all over Orokin towers. After usage, the energy uselessly disperses, which can be prevented by quick, successive usages of the ability. This allows the energy from the previous Ripline to be refocused into the new Ripline, significantly improving the energy efficiency of the ability, as well as allowing any excess energy from the previous usage to be refocused into a more destructive application. An augmentation module further streamlining the energy preservation subsystems exists, but it is regretfully not terribly useful for increasing Valkyr's combat performance.

  * Warcry appears like a fearsome, inspiring scream. While this certainly helps the morale of Valkyr's allies (and gives rise to legends among the more superstitious Corpus), the actual effects of the ability are explained by a focused discharge of Void energy. This effectively puts the systems of all affected Warframes, exosuits, robotics, or, if need be, biological systems into an overcharge, allowing significantly faster melee weapon strikes and improving the effectiveness of any armour worn by the affected. A more chaotic version of this phenomenon can be seen during Void Fissure manifestations. As for enemies, Valkyr's systems refocus any energy moving towards entities marked as such by her IFF systems in such a manner as to impede their movement. It is a complex system, with parts of it jutting out of the surface of the basic model, but certainly an effective one. A common augmentation of the system is a module that allows Valkyr to siphon the energy from various systems (or, in the case of the Infested, organs) of the enemies that fall to her in melee combat, further prolonging the effects of the ability.

  * Paralysis is heralded by a loud, piercing scream, and most Corpus experts still believe that it's the sonic blast that causes the staggering effects of the ability. However, offensive sonic abilities are the purview of Banshee, and, besides, a scream strong enough to create such a shock wave would be far more destructive. Rather, the effects of the ability are achieved by a controlled discharge of Valkyr's shield systems. The energy pent up in them is usually used to stop ballistic and energy projectiles; releasing them without such impacts results in the shock wave that leaves surrounding enemy forces staggered and open for powerful melee counterattacks. An augmentation module further improves the efficiency of the shield detonation by turning it into an implosion via the exploitation of some very clever (and very complex) mechanics inherent in the Void energy used to initiate the reaction.

  * Finally, Hysteria is easily the most complex Warframe system I have ever seen in my life. Indeed, most of the circuitry visible on the basic Valkyr model accounts for the operation of this ability. As well as creating a very powerful energy weapon, Valkyr uses Void energy in her systems to create equally powerful reactive energy shields, which are able to stop virtually any harm from coming to the Warframe short of a direct bombardment by the fully charged weapon of a Fomorian. The only reason I say that is because resilience to that kind of trauma has not been tested... yet. They work by actually creating barriers around any hostile projectiles or weapons until all lethal energy in them has been consumed. In addition, Valkyr releases a small number of nanobots, similar in design to the "scarabs" used by Inaros, into her claws in order to repair any damage she took prior to activating Hysteria. However, such violations of the laws of physics have their limits. This ability was far more protective and efficient before the relevant systems had to be significantly depowered, after it was discovered that long term usage of the ability had adverse effects on the biological components of the Warframe, as well as actually incurring significant pain upon Valkyr herself. At any rate, discharging the ability safely can be problematic; even my team has been unable to understand why deactivating Hysteria near enemy units is so dangerous, but we postulate that there is some kind of a psychic backlash inherent in the Transference process. Perhaps it is an unfortunate consequence of the Zanuka project? We don't know. All our understanding of Void energy manipulation was quite useless here, a sad state of affairs, considering how many revival surges could be prevented by a more complete understanding.




As was previously mentioned, the details on Valkyr before Alad V are hazy at best. The nature of her abilities does not suggest significant changes from the Orokin style of design, and the Valkyrs of the Old War were probably used much like the ones used by the Tenno today: as unstoppable juggernauts. The melee-oriented design suggest them being specifically created to contain the Infestation, as well as the Kavat-like aesthetic of Gersemi Valkyr. However, this is a fairly major assumption, since we do not know if Kavats were adapted to eating Infested tissue back then.

A raging, bloodthirsty berserker, and a true marvel of Orokin engineering at the same time. Destroyer of men, inspiration to science. Tenno operatives are suggested to keep a close eye on their energy reserves, seeing as the Warframe relies so much on them. Discharge safely, keep away from nullification units, and you will be an angel of glorious combat, but never forget what the biomachine you are piloting is. The damage of the Project can not yet be repaired, but it can be avenged. Although Cephalon Cordylon is quite adamant that the exact degree of Warframe sentience is not yet to be revealed, I believe I am allowed to say that almost no living being deserves to suffer such undue pain, as I have learned far too well. May your enemies always fear you, no matter the distance dividing them from you,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist


	10. Limbo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/50icza/research_report_limbo/

 

 

> It has been several days since that accursed Perrin Sequence mission. I am very glad to say that the events of these last few days have been uneventful. It's as good as time as any to do one of these audio logs. It's odd. I am probably the safest I have ever been in my life, but I still need a bodyguard, and I still need to do these logs... come to think of it, it really isn't that odd, considering what has happened to me in the last week or so. And they called me paranoid back on the research station. Hah, they're probably bankrupting each other over who's getting to take over my position. Those guys are good researchers, but really lack common sense.
> 
> I digress. So, in the last few days, Selva has remained a mystery. I made certain his hab block was right next to mine. These things are great compared to the usual crewman accommodation, best described by my superior at Viver as "Here's your pod, here's the password, damage anything, and you won't need them anymore". However, they do lack soundproofing, and I have been able to overhear a number of things from Selva's block. Mostly prayers, some mechanical noises, and, oddly enough, occasional noises of groaning men. I can at least tell where he's from by the prayers. Judging by all the mentions of a mother and a father, he's probably from Europa. Some of the Corpus there celebrate the Void-mother and Soul-father as aspects of Profit. Who'd have thought all those hours at the priests' class on Neptune would be useful for anything other than appearing to be a loyal little future crewman who shouldn't be beaten too hard? Other than that, the only thing I have been able to notice about him were the sounds the Relay's data bank program makes. Considering how... simple Selva seems, I didn't take him for someone interested in it.
> 
> Despite all that, I really couldn't ask for a better bodyguard. He's loyal, fast, and has an uncanny ability to pull out a thermos of coffee or some kind of a snack out of one of his pouches whenever I need a refreshment. Plus, his exosuit's smell keeps away some of the unwanted fans I keep accumulating. True, he is not a great conversationalist, and seems to have trouble with grasping some more advanced concepts, but I never needed that of him.
> 
> As for me? That Supra shot that got through the shields refuses to stop hurting, I need to start the dissection of a Limbo in a couple of hours, and I still feel guilty for the deaths of those crewmen.
> 
> I really shouldn't feel like that. It was them or me, and, of course, everyone else can go jump out of the nearest airlock if it's a matter of my survival. However... I... I don't know. I could have easily been in that kind of a situation, had a bored Tenno decided not to stalk me for a couple of days. Could have been me if that Zephyr was a bit more alert... I have been dealing with this by just... finding ways to not think about it. I just need time. Yes, just time. I wish I could talk to someone, but it's not what you'd expect of Kaiathas Kahn, defender of the Red Veil, slayer of giants, or whatever new title the rumour mills have given me.
> 
> Fortunately for my well being, the Limbo dissection was delayed by a necessity to find more data on the Rift. To be honest, I have mostly used the time to relax, recuperate, and explore more of the relay.
> 
> So, what new, exciting locations have I found? First, the public firing ranges and the kubrow kennels next to them. You'd think that's odd positioning, but, apparently, kubrows really need to hear gunfire once in a while. There, I finally got the chance to properly get familiar with my Dera. I don't know what Perrin's gearheads did to it, but it's miles above anything the Corpus produce for their line troops. For one, no dispersion whatsoever. Every shot goes perfectly straight, with the only limit on the gun's precision being my own steadiness. Furthermore, it shoots faster, sounds better, and it annihilated one the range's standard targets. It was a bit awkward having to listen five minutes of ranting by an overworked repairman about how I should have reported Tenno modifications and modules. At least I didn't understand most of the words. They sounded very angry though! Good thing that reimbursing the target mostly diffused the situation. That bloke still looks at me crossly whenever I come near the range, though.
> 
> The kubrow kennels are a lot more pleasant, though. The handlers over there are more than willing to talk about their changes. Turns out, the Tenno send out a lot of the kubrows that don't meet their standards over to the relays and some Tenno-aligned colonies, and the people there cycle them in and out of cryostasis. At the kennels, syndicates and all other residents of the relay can adopt the animals currently out of stasis, and, if they don't have the time commitment to give them the full care they deserve, they can always walk them around the relay. It's apparently very popular amongst the civilian population as a way of repaying the Tenno for their services, as I understand it.
> 
> Personally, I think it's just because those lil' guys are really fluffy. I'm not exactly a fan of animals, but walking around some of the kubrows has really helped me relax. There's something about the way they jump around that induces calmness.
> 
> Other than that, there's the commercial district of the station. I have no idea how a faction such as the Tenno can create such an assortment of stores. The commercial district wouldn't look out of place on a Neptunian residential station. I guess that's part of Lotus's agenda of separating the Warframes and civilians. There's high end clothes, augmentations, jewelry, advanced electronics, and even some stores selling Tenno-designed clothes, accessories and weapon conversion kits! I guess all the valuables looted from all those lockers and containers must go somewhere, but the environment make it really easy to forget that!
> 
> As much as I wanted to, I couldn't just pet kubrows and shop around. I needed data on the Rift, and the Relay's data banks were of no help. The way I saw it, Cephalon Suda and Cephalon Simaris were my only options. My first attempt at data gathering was with Simaris.
> 
> As I entered the Cephalon's room in the Relay, I was in deep in thought on how to phrase my plea for assistance. Big mistake. What I should have done was brace for the sapient group of trapezoids that was about to get way too close to my face. I really hope no public cameras caught that reaction...
> 
>  
>
>> **Aʀᴄʜɪᴠɪsᴛ Kᴀʜɴ, I ᴄᴀɴ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Sᴀɴᴄᴛᴜᴀʀʏ.**
>> 
>> ...yes, yes. I need data on the Rift for my... pursuit of further understanding of the Warframes.
>> 
>> **Kɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ I ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴄᴇʟʟᴇɴᴛ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ. Yᴏᴜʀ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪsʜᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴀʀᴇ ɪᴍᴘʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ғʀᴀɪʟ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄ!**
>> 
>> Good! What is it exactly that you want me to hunt?
>> 
>> **Tʜᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴀs Cᴏʀʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ Bᴏᴍʙᴀʀᴅs ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴏʙsᴇssɪᴏɴ. Usᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Sʏɴᴛʜᴇsɪs Sᴄᴀɴɴᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Oʀᴏᴋɪɴ Vᴏɪᴅ, sᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ sʏɴᴛʜᴇsɪsᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪsᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Sᴀɴᴄᴛᴜᴀʀʏ! Tʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ʀᴇsɪsᴛ, ᴛʀᴜᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴏғ sᴜʙsᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀs ᴄᴀᴘᴀʙʟᴇ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛɪᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.**
>> 
>> What? Uhh... I apologise, wise Cephalon, but I am currently injured, and cannot take part in combat operations. Is there no other way to assist you?
>> 
>> **Dɪssᴀᴘᴏɪɴᴛɪɴɢ! Tʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄs sᴜᴄʜ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɪɴᴇғғᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ 93% ᴏᴘᴛɪᴍᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴀɴɴᴏʏᴀɴᴄᴇ. Cᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴇʀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Sᴀɴᴄᴛᴜᴀʀʏ.**
> 
> Yeah, I am not taking part in a Void incursion so a crazy Cephalon can digitize a corrupted Grineer heavy unit. Lousy Void-damned stupid assortment of orange geometric shapes without a sense of personal space. Note to self: if Cordylon speaks of synthesis again, make sure to be a lot nicer to him.
> 
> Sadly, attempting to negotiate with Cephalon Suda was not too much different. True, she uses words such as "curiosity" and "organic debris" in lieu of "Sanctuary" and "knowledge", and she "only" asked of me to go capture a Grineer officer so she could break him down to his atomic constituents, but a crazy data-obsessed Cephalon is a crazy data-obsessed Cephalon, even if it has a different paintjob.
> 
> This is where my research team helped out. When not doing a Warframe dissection, they are usually just busy arguing about Infestation-related terminology. I still stand by my belief that Technocyte is the virus and Infestation are the victims, by the way. However, this time, they were also searching for Rift-related data, and Norn, one of the Red Veil researchers, came through for me. Apparently, the Arbiters of Hexis had some data on the Rift, but Norn himself was unable to collect it, on account of some inexplicable inter-syndicate rivalry.
> 
> This is something I could approach. I did some research on the syndicate, and it turned out they were ritual-obsessed wannabe Tenno... with one of the best private document collections dealing with the events of the Old War. Making sure that there were no crazy geometric shapes in their enclave that could jump out and startle me, I formulated an attack plan to make them relinquish their data. The next day, I walked into the enclave. The meeting went like this:
> 
>  
>
>> _Welcome, Kaiathas Kahn. Your reputation precedes you. What do you require of us?_
>> 
>> Greetings, Arbiters of Hexis! I merely require some of your documents concerning the Limbo Warframe.
>> 
>> _...We see. Knowledge of the honourable Tenno is not to be shared easily. The path to Truth is not one to be undertaken by everyone. We require a sacrifice in return._
>> 
>> Well, your Honours, the work I am currently doing is your sacrifice. Surely, you are familiar with my current line of work? In helping the Tenno understand the Warframes they use, I allow them to understand the link between the weapon and the warrior, and, through that, invite them to question the sadly popular "Tenno as Warrior" mythology, and lead them to the path of Truth. Is that not your goal?
>> 
>> _We need to discuss this further. Please wait, archivist._

* * *

> > _You make a convincing argument. We will share what we know, if you give us access to your findings as well, and inform the Tenno that we have provided this knowledge._
>> 
>> Your terms are very kind. Thank you, Arbiters.
> 
> The last time I had to whip out all the fancy talk was I had to work with some of the Tech-Commanders from nobler houses back on Viver. Just like those folks, Hexis has their heads stuck so high up the clouds, they are choking from lack of air. They didn't even know all syndicate operatives with the proper security clearance get access to my data. I love it when life works out like that. Kaiathas, out.

Honourable Tenno, today, a Limbo has arrived to be analysed by my team and I. Or, rather, large chunks of a Limbo have arrived. The after action report states that it exploded after attempting to enter the Rift due to damage on the Warframe's systems. Thanks to the failsafes implemented after the prototype's similar fate, the pieces only scattered in a 500 metre radius, and I believe the Warframe will be operational within a couple of months. Conveniently, this is about the same amount of time the Warframe's operator will need to get back into fighting condition after the Transference backlash. We wish Operator AtomicPenjing a swift recovery.

As always, an identification guide for our Syndicate allies. Limbo is a tall, slender, masculine Warframe. Its most distinguishing feature is a detachable head structure. There are three variations of that structure, and they are all evocative of hats used by Corpus historical reenactments groups to represent the first Executives. If you are not familiar with these, take note of Limbo's coat-like exoskeleton. In a Tenno cell, Limbo is a Warframe of battlefield control. If an enemy or an ally is enveloped is some kind of mist or a large hemisphere by the Warframe, as a general rule, it cannot be affected by anything that is also not in that mist/hemisphere, and vice versa. If you are affected by one of these abilities and do not want to be, just do a combat roll to nullify the effects.

Documentation on Limbo and the Rift it handles is, as seems to be an unfortunate trend with these dissections, infuriatingly lacking. However, thanks to our appreciated allies of the Arbiters of Hexis, we were able to procure an Orokin-era document dealing with this odd parallel dimension the Warframe utilises.

The Rift is a "border" between the Void and our regular universe. In most aspects, it is an identical copy of the material plane (without any life forms, which is possibly related to the Transference process), but has a background flow of Void energy. It is this particular aspect of the Rift that the Orokin Empire wanted to attempt and utilize for advanced technology development, but we do not know if these attempts were successful. The documents dealing with the Rift are dated to being written not long before The Fall. No matter what, a key factor of the Rift, and a very useful property to the contemporary Archimedians, is that objects in the Rift Plane can be seen from the regular universe, and vice versa, but generally cannot interact with each other. There are exceptions to this rule, and Tenno-generated data banks go quite in detail concerning the combat applications of these; for more details, attempt to access the "Wiki" widely used by Tenno.

The difficulty with the usage of the Rift Plane is actually transferring objects from one plane to the other. The process is quite efficient, energy-wise, but transferred objects are relatively likely to get stuck between this plane and the Rift, resulting in accidents such as the one that led us to dissecting this particular Limbo specimen. The Warframe itself quite reminds me of Excalibur: high numbers of vestigial Rift-related systems, and even higher numbers of failsafes, many of them in the contemporary Tenno style, suggesting recent modifications. A number of systems allow this Warframe improved celerity within the Rift. However, in spite of all the vestigial systems, Limbo actually uses only a small number of them. The documents I have available describe a number of different applications of the Rift Plane, and we have been able to spot a large number of subsystems dedicated for those applications, but the only ones used by the Tenno are those for transferring an object to the Rift, energy surges, and an upscaled version of the first subsystem.

  * Banish and Rift Walk use the same subsystem, and send something to the Rift. The ability is slightly more inefficient when used on targets other than Limbo himself, and is set up to use a far less safe process on targets marked as enemies by Limbo's IFF systems, resulting in damage to the affected. A module exists which uses the excess energy of Rift transferral to mend the wounds of affected friendlies, in a similar matter to Trinity's Well of Life, albeit more focused.

  * Rift Surge is a simple release of Void energy into the local area of the Rift Plane. What makes this ability useful are Limbo's weapon support systems, which imbue Limbo's weapons with the energy in such a way that causes a violent reaction with any victims hit by those weapons in the Rift Plane. This is accomplished by the exploitation of a number of Void-specific physical laws, which seem to also apply in the Rift. An augmentation module also allows this ability to sap energy from any enemies present in the nearby Rift Plane for even more destructive results.

  * Cataclysm, as previously mentioned, is simply an upscaled version of Banish. It allows Limbo to send a large sphere of the material plane to the Rift Plane. However, even with extra energy expenditure, this process is unstable, and the sphere inevitably violently collapses, given enough time. This can be averted with a special augmentation module, which allows energy sapping from any enemies that fall within Cataclysm's area of effect via similar mechanisms that allow Rift Surge to function.




The data on Limbo's actual use during the Orokin Era is unavailable due to the explosive fate of the prototype; it is even unknown if he went into mass production. However, the Warframe's internals suggest a highly experimental purpose, making Limbo a concept Warframe, so to speak. As such, he is not as combat effective as he could be, even though he has systems very pliable to modification. My research seems to indicate that Llimbo has attracted a small but dedicated Tenno following, so any advice my team could offer would probably be quite useless. What we can do is make a suggestion to the Lotus and her Warframe technicians: we suggest a refit of the Warframe for improved combat efficiency. Rift Walk and Banish use the same subsystem, so they can easily be merged into a single ability for the Operators of the Warframe, and the newfound slot for an ability can be replaced by one of the numerous vestigial systems the Warframe possesses. My team and I have sent a proposal detailing possible modifications via Cephalon Cordylon. May your companions never fail you,

With utmost respect

 _ **Kaiathas Kahn**_ , Tenno archivist


	11. The Stalker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/52lrvc/research_report_the_stalker/

* * *

 

> I need to do one of these, because, once again, I have a horrible case of impending doom. I really didn't miss this feeling. Oh, sure, Cordylon says that the Stalker doesn't attack researchers. Well, he's my superior, and the one thing even the indoctrinated bucketheads learn is that the boss will always lie if it's your ass on the line. At least he won't attack me in the relay, right? RIGHT?... **sorry, Tomeh, forgot about the walls!**
> 
> So, how did I get into this state of acute paranoia? A couple of days ago, Cephalon Cordylon sent me a personal message. Me and the team were granted access to some highly classified data regarding the Stalker for the purposes of compiling a report on him. Apparently, he had a couple of other teams working on that, and wanted to compile all the conclusions into a single, unified datafile. Apparently, the Lotus has a feeling the Sentients will try something really soon, and wants to prepare accordingly. That the Lotus was actually worried about something was a fact whose significance fortunately escaped me at the time. If it didn't, I'd... okay, to be honest, it could not have been worse than that time in Project Nullifier during which we were just waiting to get murdered by a Tenno cell. Calm down, Kai, calm down. Still, the feeling of impending dread is worse than being in active danger in my experience. Getting shot at discourages a man like me from stopping to do such... unsurvivable things such as crying. And running around in little circles and shouting.
> 
> I got Selva to grab me some coffee, and started working on the newly unlocked datafiles. There was some pretty interesting stuff there. Guess that Grineer soldier from back when Titania started getting used wasn't terrified out of his wits. Living trees... There was also Orokin-era data on the Low Guardians, all available data on Excalibur development history, Sentient drone research, and so much more. I was actually really fascinated, and quite enjoying all the new knowledge, until I got to the combat logs. What I soon learned was that the Stalker was nowhere near as nasty as a Warframe. That's good. What's bad is that he's still strong enough for that to not matter. I'm dead, whether it's a Lanka headshot, or a good hit from the Stalker's greatsword. What's worse, he can show up anywhere and everywhere. In the middle of a Void tower? He can be there. Hiding in an executive personal relay? There, too. In a Tenno orbiter? Showed up there thousands of times. Yeah, sure, I didn't kill any big, important targets, but this universe has shown to be quite keen to be screw me over in all the wrong ways. I wouldn't mind getting screwed in all the right ways, but, noooooo, has to be like this.
> 
> Still, I was holding on to the hope that I wouldn't be targeted by him, until Selva, heralded by his stench, scooted in with the coffee I wanted, and right now, really, really needed. He saw what I was working on, and felt the need to interject.
> 
>  
>
>> _Stalker? Nasty thing. Once went on a smuggler ship. Everyone dead, saw him out of the corner of my eye. He ran away. Good for me._
>> 
>> Smuggler ship? What did he do to piss off the Stalker?
>> 
>> _Checked logs. He sold blueprints to his bow. Think Darvo once did something like that. Good thing he has Tenno. This guy didn't._
>> 
>> He really just sold the blueprints for one of his weapons? Just that?
>> 
>> _Yup. Gets worse. My... ... merc buddy swears he got ou... his crew killed by the Stalker. Says they just saw him on a ship. Ship was being attacked by Tenno. Guess they saw too much._
>> 
>> Oh dear. Say, just as a hypothetical, if we fought the Stalker, could you scare him off or something?
>> 
>> _No._
>> 
>> Why?
>> 
>> _He's too tough._
>> 
>> Would you fight him with me if he attacked me?
>> 
>> _Yes. It's what you pay me for. Won't fail you, boss._
> 
> Well, that made everything I learned so far fall into place to cement my internal terror. At least I didn't spit out the coffee. If he kills people just for that, I'm not too confident about my chances for being someone who researches him and publishes the results to each and every Tenno to see.
> 
> Actually, wait. I'm on a relay. I'm not too far from the Concourse. If I'm not just being paranoid and he tries something here, I can probably run away long enough for a Tenno who really wants a War blueprint to come and save me. If I'm on the relay, I'm good. I have no obligations to any ex-Corpus syndicates, and my research team is quite unlikely to kill me or otherwise try to replace me as the leader. Furthermore, this growing reputation of mine is actually becoming really useful! For one, free coffee! Also, I've been able to wiggle out of a bunch of combat operations. The Relay command has it in their heads that a man who killed a Warframe would be far more suited to combat duty than what they think is dull research. How wrong they are. Selva has been surprisingly useful for that task, too. The stench helps, true, but he also has a unnatural level of understanding of the Relay's paperwork. By simply sticking to the rules, he has been able to push off pretty much everyone. Think he said something along the lines of "the X-97 form always gets them". I guess you need to have a good understanding of how you get hired and paid as a solo mercenary. Or maybe he's just hiding something. I'm not asking him until it affects his duties, though. I really need to give him a raise, he's been the most reliable person I have met in my life.
> 
> I really can't complain about the life here, even with the Stalker being a thing. The research team here is making my job pretty... pleasant? Yeah, that's the word. The biggest problem are merely Rosidea and the... other guy getting a bit too enthusiastic with their explanations and freaking out the other researchers. Why can't I seem to remember their names? Anyway, everyone seems to be working together just fine. There's about twenty of us, and everyone is enthusiastic, well paid, and very competent. Can't find anything to be cynical about concerning them.
> 
> They were a sight for sore eyes when we were poring through the data on the Stalker. Ideas were shooting around in much the same way that I hope I won't be. One of the civvies really distinguished himself from the pack, really took charge during the brainstorming process. Think his name was... Wastrel? No, no, Wasta. Yeah, that's it. Might wanna get him as a secondary leader of sorts. That might let me skimp out on work occasionally. Sometimes, I just feel like munching on one of Selva's snacks and looking into space. That could be nice right now.
> 
> Maybe I'm being a bit too paranoid. There is only so much horrible stuff life can throw at me. I feel a lot better. Kaiathas, out... wait, a message. I have a bad feeling about this.

* * *

 

> Should have known, should have known. Signing up Selva as security detail for the research team has come to bite me in the ass. Cordylon says that we are send a contingent of researchers on an infested Corpus ship on Eris, where there has been a really nasty incident with an Equinox. Cordylon also says that we will have a team of Tenno defending us while we work on picking up the bits of the Warframe in question, which apparently somehow got mixed up with Infested tissue. Cordylon can also go stick a Galatine into whatever Cephalons have instead of an ass! Are there really no other research teams with a security contingent? Maple, if you are somehow responsible for this, and I have a pretty damn good hunch you are, I will steal a shuttle just so I can get into that orbiter of yours and punch you! I need to find a less dangerous line of work. Such as liquefied Infested tissue diving.
> 
> Well, I'm about to go into a long forgotten ship, with a bunch of presumably scared researchers, to fight the Infested and presumably get impaled by the Stalker's greatsword. And here I thought I was being too paranoid. Kaiathas, out.

Honourable Tenno, today, my team and I have been tasked with an assignment far more like the kind of work I used to do back during my time with the Corpus. The Stalker has been hunting Tenno operatives for the last three years, but still remains an enigma to us. This is especially troubling, considering his relatively recent involvement with the Sentient Hunhow, and his numerous attacks on operators themselves during the evacuation of Lua. We have compiled all available knowledge on this enemy of the Tenno in a manner easily understandable to field operatives, in addition to proposing several theories on his true nature. Note that this data is for Tenno eyes only, unlike our usual work.

So, what is the Stalker? He appears to be a red and black Excalibur Warframe, adorned with a very distinctive helmet. Prior to his involvement with the Sentients, the Stalker was otherwise unadorned. Afterwards, it would seem the Warframe body was upgraded to the Umbra model; a rare, almost mythical configuration of the model in question, with the only things pointing to its existence at this time being several text-based descriptions recovered by Tenno operatives from Orokin Towers. In addition, the Stalker now also sports a distinct syandana and armour, which has been replicated and sold by Darvo as the Pakal set. Amongst the Tenno, it is merely a (rather popular) cosmetic set, but the Stalker himself is likely using the armour as some sort of a way to achieve Sentient-specific powers.

One thing well known about the Stalker is his modus operandi. After a Tenno operative finishes a high-profile assassination mission, they will almost invariably receive a private message from him. No allied Cephalons have been able to backtrace any of these messages in any meaningful way, in spite of their sheer number. After the message is received, the operator in question is considered marked. Sooner or later, one of their Warframes will be attacked by the Stalker during a mission. Changing or redecorating Warframes seems to have no effect on this fact, and neither does the replacement of the Tenno's personal combat designation; the Stalker seems to lock on to their personal Void signature, or some other immutable Tenno trait. The likelihood of an attack on a marked Warframe seems to be around 2% per combat operation, based on mission logs. Although the Tenno seem to swear by the fact that they are attacked far more often when attuning themselves to new weapons and Warframes, the numbers do not show that this admittedly sound strategy is used.

What is by far the most baffling thing about the Stalker is the way he attacks. After hijacking the mission control frequencies used by the Tenno to deliver a "verdict", so to speak, he teleports in near the Warframe of the operator he is hunting, and attempts to neutralize it. Note the use of the word neutralize: the Stalker, bizarrely enough, seems to be satisfied with merely triggering a revival surge in his quarry, and there have actually been very few cases of Warframes being lost to the Stalker. In addition, despite the best efforts of numerous experienced Tenno with a chip on their shoulders (and, as I understand it, strong wish for weapon blueprints), he inexplicably remains alive. When the HUD on Warframes shows him to be critically injured, the Stalker almost always disappears as mysteriously as he enters the battle. On a number of occasions, however, this has been averted. Despite several confirmed takedowns in which the Stalker seemed completely dead or otherwise disabled, he has always returned to hunt again, and any operations dedicated to recovering the rogue Warframe(?) found that the body has a nasty habit inexplicably disappearing.

The Stalker has displayed a wide assortment of abilities over the years. His current form, designated as the Shadow Stalker, utilizes the Sentient greatsword War, backed with Sentient damage adaptation and energy projection, security lockdown, Excalibur abilities, and Void energy nullification. What follows is speculation formed over a week of poring over neuroptic recordings and system readings.

  * The Stalker seems to be an modified Excalibur Warframe, or at least happens to use one via transference or a similar process. Excalibur was the first Warframe, and it is quite likely that prototypes with different characteristics from the production models were created; indeed, even the production model has a number of vestigial systems. If he is truly an Excalibur prototype, that would explain his past usage of a variety of Warframe abilities, such as Absorb, Shuriken, and others. This would also explain the loss of these powers after The Stalker's change to the Shadow Stalker form, as changing the Warframe to a (presumably) later model would likely result in the loss of the relevant systems. Oddly enough, he still has Pull available; presumably, even Excalibur Umbra possesses that subsystem.

  * It has been difficult to find data on the nature of Sentient damage adaptation. A text file shared by Cephalon Simaris suggests that the Sentients were an Orokin colonization project gone horribly, horribly wrong. This would certainly explain the absolute rarity of information on the great enemy of the Old War; the Orokin probably wanted to restrict the knowledge that the Sentients were their fault. Still, my team and I have been able to scrap together a basic understanding of the reactive nature of the Sentients from Lua data fragments and codex scan data. It functions on a very alien principle: the energy that they use to power their weapons and systems behaves like the polar opposite of Void energy. Compare and contrast with nullification: if Void energy nullification is sucking the air out of a room, then Sentient energy is the metaphorical equivalent of filling the room with molten metal. The properties of this energy allow the creation of a thick energy field, which seems to be able to modify its physical properties in order to better withstand deformation. Its weakness is that it has generally has to receive damage to adapt to it, and a sufficiently powerful alpha strike renders adaptation pointless. The Shadow Stalker is likely to be using the Pakal armour to achieve this effect, and even though this seems to be a functional combination of Void and Sentient energy, I am assured that adapting this technology for Warframe usage is impossible at this point in time.

  * Thankfully, explaining the security lockdown and the teleportation effect of the Stalker is far easier. Ship logs recovered from the vessels he appeared on show the characteristic signs of a security incursion from a Liset dropship. Fortunately, this does not necessarily mean the Stalker has his own Liset, as these signs are typical of a number of related Tenno security exploits, some of which are available to allied forces. As for the teleportation, it has the same energy signatures of the teleportation used by the Tenno for Warframe insertion, as necessary. This method is most often seen when entering Void Towers. The only puzzling aspect of it is the Stalker's invulnerability as he attacks/runs away. It is quite possible that the image of a kneeling Stalker is just an illusion or an afterimage, meant to intimidate the inexperienced quarry. Of course, such a strategy only provides a clear indication of where to aim for the more experienced Tenno, but unnecessary, fear mongering behaviour is something to be expected of the Stalker. It should be noted that a faster version of this ability is occasionally used to close the distance between the Tenno and the Stalker. That further indicates that the kneeling is an unnecessary part of the ability.

  * The Shadow Stalker utilizes two different types of "energy grenades", so to speak. Our only data available on them are the damage logs from Warframes attacked by the Stalker. The readings are quite similar to Conculyst and Battalyst energy attacks, leadings us to believe that he uses Sentient energy to power these attacks. This means that we cannot completely explain the methods used to produce them, but we have a couple of hypotheses. However, they are quite arcane, relying on a good comprehension of Void energy manipulation to be understood, and are quite useless to a field operative attacked by the Stalker. To them, these are merely spinning lasers or slow-moving bombs, despite the unusual technology used to create them. 

  * The Stalker's weapon usage is quite interesting. Previously, he used the Dread bow, Despair throwing knives, and Hate scythe. However, after the Sentient upgrade, this diverse arsenal of weaponry was replaced by a singular blade, War. Although this might seem to be another of the Stalkers odd quirks thankfully working against him, this is not one of them. Analysis of reconstructed models of War used by the Tenno forces indicates that they are Sentient proxies in addition to being capable weapons. Fortunately, all foundry models have been configured not to replicate the systems needed for a Sentient possession to happen, but the Stalker's own War has been used by the Sentient Hunhow to guide him and force the evacuation of Lua. Under the guidance of the Sentients, the Stalker was a significantly more dangerous foe, as he was using advanced strategies and, as mentioned previously, directly attacked a number of Tenno, some aboard their own orbiters. Finding one of them to begin with, let alone bypassing their numerous security measures is completely inexplicable to this day. Fortunately, the Stalker seems to have reverted to his old ways for the time being, but the possibility of the Lua scenario happening again should be always kept in mind. If that War begins to speak during an assassination attempt, we would recommend that the attacked Tenno cell immediately extracts and sends a mission report. As for the capabilities of the weapon itself, I imagine the numerous Tenno operatives using the regular and broken variants can attest to its effectiveness. This is further compounded by the fact that the Stalker can use the weapon as a conduit for Exalted Blade. I believe that reverse-engineering this variation of the Warframe ability (which was in itself probably reverse-engineered from an unfortunate Excalibur) could be useful, and I have sent a suggestion via Cephalon Cordylon to begin relevant testing.

  * Finally, there is the matter of the Stalker's Dispel. It completely nullifies all Void-based abilities anywhere near him. Based on my experience with the Nullifier project, I was able to get an understanding of this capabilities from the system readings of attacked Warframes. To achieve this effect, the Stalker "vacuums" any Void energy in the vicinity that is not bound to a dedicated power source via expending all of the Void energy he himself possesses. This is an approach used by a number of different Tenno hunters, such as the Grineer Manics and Alad V's Zanuka Hunters, may he have a child only so it can bankrupt him. The limitations of this method include the necessity for a powerful Void Battery, the difficulty of preventing friendly fire with it, and the inherent instability of the metaphorical Vacuum created. This is why no known Warframe models use an ability such as this one (outside of Conclave combat simulations, which are not exactly realistic), and even if they did, it wouldn't be too useful due to the lack of Void energy usage amongst the enemies of the Tenno.




The Stalker would be a complete enigma to us, were it not for a log inserted into one of the Tenno databases by what seems to the man or Warframe himself. If the log is to be believed, the Stalker was active at the time of the Fall, and now seeks revenge for the fallen empire. Based on this data, along with a small number of other data sources, we have formulated several theories that could explain the events leading up to this point.

  * First, the Stalker could be a fully self-aware Warframe. Sapient behaviour has been documented with a number of prototype Warframes, such as Limbo, Mirage and Inaros, to name a few, and even production models can display what seems to be a limited sense of self preservation. However, this theory raises questions about how the Stalker managed to keep himself in perfectly functioning condition for such a long time, especially considering the battle damage he invariably receives from annoyed Tenno operatives piloting Warframes equipped with Tonkor grenade launchers and other such weapons of mass destruction. It also begs the question of how the upgrade from a prototypal production model to an Umbra model was achieved. As I understand it, there are significant internal differences between mass production and Prime models, and our limited understanding of Excalibur Umbra implies that it is not merely a replacement of the external chassis, such as the Prisma Excalibur.

  * An alternate theory proposed by some of my research staff hailing from New Loka is that the Stalker is actually an Orokin era individual stuck in a Warframe by an unwanted transference effect. This phenomenon has been recently seen in the Silver Grove on Earth, when an Orokin Archimedian became bound to the local flora due to unsupervised transference. It is not a stretch to believe that a non-Tenno could have used a Warframe in a moment of desperation. We really can't say much else due to our current lack of understanding of non-Tenno transference.

  * My personal theory is that the Stalker is a rogue Tenno. I find it quite unlikely that all Tenno wished to be directed by the Lotus, and there must have been some Orokin sympathisers amongst them. Such defectors would have likely distanced themselves from the Tenno at large and their culture. While there is certainly merit in the possibility that the Stalker was just a plain Low Guardian, as he states, I do not believe than non-Tenno transference is easy to achieve. Rather, I propose that a number of Tenno left the Lotus's organization, found jobs within the empire, working as any other citizen of the time, taking their Warframes with them. Rogue Tenno are also an explanation for the Acolytes, the Stalker's disciples. They could account for a number of the Tenno presumed dead after the evacuation of Lua. True, it is a disconcerting possibility, but I don't see many other possible explanations for the fact that they only appeared after the relocation.




Whatever the case may be, the Stalker is a real, persistent threat. He can be quite dangerous, but more experiences operators have already grown accustomed to his assaults, and are quite able to beat him back when he is not directly assisted by the Sentients. For the less experienced Tenno, we suggest a mobile, ranged approach to battle. The Stalker deals immense damage in Melee range, his laser grenades make short work of Warframes at a medium range (but they do have a blind spot directly underneath), and the energy bombs punish the slow and the sluggish. Melee weaponry should only be used if he has adapted to your ranged weaponry; otherwise, chip him down with your primaries and secondaries, and keep moving. If all else fails, it is prudent to swallow your pride and run for the extraction, especially so if you do not have any revival surges available. **DO NOT** allow the Stalker to destroy your Warframe, as the resulting damage is often impossible to repair, if the fallen Warframe can be retrieved at all.

In conclusion, the Stalker is a disturbingly powerful foe, but limited by his pride and aimless, pointless, generally ineffectual revenge. When he is directed by the Sentients, however, he is easily the most dangerous enemy the Tenno have ever faced. There is a good reason that there was a war against the Sentients. For the Tenno seeking more info, check the databanks on Larunda Relay, but make sure your security credentials are properly updated. May you find Profit, whether in the ruins of Mercury, or the golden towers of the Void,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist


	12. Equinox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread:https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/59jrlp/research_report_equinox, written with the help of /u/Chiven

 

 

>  
> 
>  
>
>> Patient: EX10691
>> 
>> Ward: E
>> 
>> Room: 23
>> 
>> Name: Kaiathas Kahn
>> 
>> Cause of admission: Minor blood loss and loss of both legs caused by high-power energy weapon during mission WR-2341
>> 
>> Treatment: ~~Replacement of lost legs with vat-grown limbs~~ **Replacement of lost legs with augmented vat-grown limbs.**
>> 
>> Payment: Covered by the General Allied Representative's Lifelong Insurance Contract **and an anonymous benefactor.**
>> 
>> Doctor's notes: Wounds allegedly incurred by the Stalker. Whatever the case may be, his suit saved his life by kicking him into coma as soon as it got breached like that. Furthermore, the lost limbs got instantly cauterized, so the blood loss was surprisingly light. However, the knockout agents seem to have had an adverse reaction, and it looks like he'll stay comatose for a good few weeks. The civvie population on the relay loves this guy for some reason, because did some badass stuff and got out of it alive, if I understand it correctly. He's apparently a researcher, though, so I have no idea how he got into a Warframe retrieval mission, or how he even became a researcher.
>> 
>> **EDIT: We received an anonymous donation and a set of Grineer-made subdermal implants addressed to this patient. I don't know who's the donator, but I definitely have no idea how they got their hands on that tech. It's actually better than anything we have on Larunda! Someone out there must really like this guy.**

* * *

 

 

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>> _Selva Zinik, have you been briefed on the nature of this meeting?_
>> 
>> Yes, Cephalon Cordylon. Irregularities concerning mission WR-2341.
>> 
>> _Then please begin your abridged report. I will interrupt when needed._
>> 
>> Left Larunda at 08:34 station time. Personnel: 24 researchers, myself, pilot. Arrived at insertion point at 13:02 station time. Immediate resistance from infested encountered, promptly eliminated. No major infested encounters until rendezvous with Tenno cell at 13:10. Several minor conflicts followed, two minor injuries on researchers in progress of clearing a path to objective.
>> 
>> _My databanks do not explain how Technocyte infection was prevented on the two researchers. Please elaborate._
>> 
>> Boffins had improved exosuits. Standard protocol for combat with Infestation as per protocol I-25 as well as Orokin precedent The Soldier's Guide of Gold, Revision 230, page 178, paragraph...
>> 
>> _As the Lotus' archivist, I am well aware of these regulations. What is unclear to me is how was the damage from exosuit breach caused by a Charger bioform on Doctor Agarian Varyn contained without amputation._
>> 
>> 25 Antitoxin modules were requisitioned from Larunda Relay's armory as per The Soldier's Guide of Gold, Revision 230, page 183, paragraph 2.
>> 
>> _I do not believe this is regular behaviour. Processing... Strange. I concede that this ruling can be interpreted to allow this requisition to be legal. Some questions still remain unanswered. Proceed with your report._
>> 
>> Objective secured at 13:18. Infested attacks cease at 13:28. No incidents until appearance of Stalker at 15:11.
>> 
>> _Additional detail regarding this encounter would be appreciated._
>> 
>> After teleporting and rising from kneeling position, Stalker attacked Excalibur-model Warframe. Research personnel were directed into cover, and instructed to provide support with their sidearms. Effective combatants at that time were the Tenno, Kaiathas Kahn, and me. Stalker attacked Excalibur with energy beams. Dodged, but collateral damage was incurred: Cader Penta and Takil Al-Loka critically injured. Stalker damaged by all effective combatants, triggering first Sentient shield, and the usage of an energy grenade. Minor injury suffered by Doctor Katyn Var. Three seconds later, second Sentient shield was triggered. Enemy's attacks refocused towards Kahn. Energy beams shot out, avoided by target, but knocked off my Fog helmet. Not completely sure about following events. Needed to retrieve helmet.
>> 
>> _This action was tactically unsound, in my opinion. Would you please elaborate on your thought process at the time?_
>> 
>> Per The Soldier's Guide of Gold, Revision 230, page 37, paragraph 2, I am not obligated to answer that question.
>> 
>> _...Fair enough. Please continue to the best of your capabilities._
>> 
>> By time of helmet retrieval, Doctor Rosidea Mur suffered critical injury, and Stalker moved within 5 meters of Kahn. Both proceeded to engage in melee. Third Sentient shield was triggered in the skirmish, and Kaiathas Kahn was affected by major injury and loss of combat effectiveness. Focused fire from Warframes and myself trigger fourth Sentient shield. Several ineffective attacks used by Stalker. Following more focused fire, Stalker forced to retreat. Blueprints for his weapon retrieved by the Tenno during the escape. At 15:12, emergency evacuation provided for injured researchers. Mission completed successfully at 15:23 without further incidents.
>> 
>> _My data on the Stalker's weaponry indicates that the energy blast suffered by Doctor Rosidea Mur should have been fatal. Along with some other anomalous readings, I have reason to believe that, even considering the modules, modified exosuits of some kind were provided for the mission, in contrast to the regulations. I believe you can elaborate on that._
>> 
>> Suits were fine. My helmet may have caused anomalous readings.
>> 
>> _... that could have been the cause, yes. As an experienced combatant, do you believe that this mission was executed properly?_
>> 
>> No. The research unit lacked protection. Survival of all personnel miraculous, even without Stalker incident. I believe Cell Deployment protocols need revision, following this mission.
>> 
>> _Your complaints have been noted. Now i see that this case will be a welcome challenge for me. You are dismissed, Selva Zinik._
>> 
>> Thank you. May you continue to be mentally challenged.

* * *

I did believe the view of the battleground where Limbo's remains were recently recovered would be hard to surpass. Well I'll be damned because the next retrieval mission led us to personally board an abandoned Corpus ship at the orbit of Eris, where we found not a damaged Warframe or even scattered parts of it, but a very peculiar looking... flower. Or should I say tree? I think the boss calls those things Arboriforms. What we saw was a mess of mixed environment materials, infested tissue and components of multiple Warframes.

Normally, a field operative unit secures the Warframe and then we proceed with dissection in the lab, but, this time we had to start dissecting it from the organic-like structure ourselves just so we wouldn't need to bring back the whole ship's block with us. It's quite intimidating, I must admit, to work with the sounds of Juggernauts (or was it just my imagination?) wandering through the levels. Our weird bodyguard claimed it won't appear as long as we are silent. Not very convincing, but the fact that we all are still alive goes in his favor. Of course, we had problems with a slightly different assassin, which is the reason I am the one responsible for this report. That being said, we've got Equinox dissected and ready for an early analysis.

To the topic. Equinox is a Warframe with three different appearances, a masculine one, feminine, and a hybrid of them, although the archives insist that all of them are female. It's hard to point out the most distinguishing feature of Equinox as its appearance is full of them. However, you can distinguish its forms by the rib-like structure of the masculine "Day" form and a dress-like outer shell of the opposed "Night" form. The neutral hybrid form sports both of those, but field operatives don't usually see it for long. If you are reading this and about to team up with an Equinox, a word of advice: Please remember to tune your IFF modules properly, even more so than usual.

Warframes in general are equipped with the four ability systems per each. Apparently, it makes the tension of controlling them bearable for the Operators as well as preserving Warframes from a collapse, as multiple running systems interfere with each other far more than we or Tenno would like, up to destructive result. From what we know, the whole idea of Equinox was to surpass that limit and develop as universal of a Warframe as it is possible.

To achieve that, the Orokin engineers had proven once again their ability to find an elegant solution to the problem by actually two distinct Warframes together into a single unit via the same technology used to create Void Relics, but in a reversible form. The "Relic" in Equinox's case is the default form, while Day and Night forms are two completely separate Warframes.

The two forms share identical core systems, endoskeletons, and a number of other minor subsystems to enable this process, but have distinctly different ability systems. One of the most interesting shared systems is the portable duplex energy-matter converter, similar to the core of a foundry or an Equilibrium module, although it's far less powerful than either of those due to engineering constraints.

  * While changing forms, which is the first ability named Metamorphosis, one of the forms is "returned" into the Relic, and another one soon takes its place. It takes a brief time to synchronize the whole structure again and ready it for the subsequent ability use. The process releases a lot of energy, which is gathered up and refocused by the respective forms. This causes the Night form to provide extra power for shield generators and fortification of the molecular links in the Warframe's carapace, hardening the armor plating of the Warframe, while the Day form accelerates the locomotive and ability systems. The Hybrid form is the "rest" state for the Equinox construct, unable to use abilities, but less straining for the Tenno using the Warframe. This the appearance you commonly see out of actual operations.

  * On a side note, it seems that a Metamorphosis attempt in a state of critical damage was the actual cause of an incident that provided us with the specimen in question, as a malfunctioned synchronisation process made both the Warframes take up the same space, which caused an adverse reaction with the surrounding organic matter. I'm pretty sure it would be faster and easier to recover individual, less damaged subsystems and use them in building a replacement Equinox from a scratch rather than to try to restore the whole unit, which is saying something considering the difficulty of creating one. I don't even want to know what happened to the Operator in control. The backlash must have been astounding. Unfortunately, the Duality augment was not equipped. It consists of a Spectre technology projector after Metamorphosis, which can be used as "grounding" in case of failed uses of the ability.

  * The second ability is Rest & Rage. Activated by Night form, Rest uses an energy blast to disrupt electrical signals in a small area, including neural signals. This results is a sleep-like state for both mechanical and organic enemies. I don't know of any adverse problems related to such a disruption of the neural systems, as sleeping targets in general are perfect opportunities for accurate and deadly melee attacks, which the Tenno use with glee. Day's Rage, on the other hand, uses a modified version of the systems Nova uses for Molecular Prime, which disrupt spacetime in the area of the target, making them faster but far more unstable. These two abilities also have an augment, Calm & Frenzy. It simply allows the respective effects to move to other nearby, living targets upon the termination of their current victim with a small guidance system.

  * Pacify and Provoke create an aura affecting enemy and ally units respectively. Night's Pacify provides time distortion, similar in nature to Rage, to entities identified as threats, such as projectiles, melee weapons, or even electromagnetic waves, noticeably lowering possible damage dealt by them. Here,I must stop for a second and mention that most ability subsystems of the Equinox Warframes do not deal with power projection, but rather, computing. In this case lots of calculations are needed to figure out exactly how to disrupt dangerous entities without unnecessary expenditure of energy or adverse effects related to Equinox's nature. Back to the topic, Day's Provoke emits an energy pulse that resonates with active allied ability systems and empowers them by precise bursts of energy. The Peaceful Provocation augment is, in fact, an additional computing system, utilizing the data collected during the interaction with the enemies (that is, damage received from them by Equinox or allies, or damage they receive) to figure out optimal distortion points to slow the enemies themselves down, rather than just the stuff they shoot. Similarly, with Provoke, damage data is used to further fine tune allied ability systems by guiding abilities in such a way that makes the more effective.

  * The ultimate ability, Mend & Maim, uses the Equinox's computational systems for some absolutely astounding calculations with quantum computing. For Mend, the Night form's passive systems convert small amounts of matter from fallen enemies into energy, and, when needed, this energy is discharged as a healing wave similar to Trinity's Well of Life, but far more efficient and longer ranged. As for Maim, the Day form uses Void energy to bleed enemies caught in the range of the effect via small, precise energy incisions. The effectiveness of these wounds is collected by the Warframe's computing systems, and, as more enemies fall, more data is collected. With proper data concerning weak points of the Day form's enemies, the ability is stopped, and one last round of energy slashes is caused, but this time, it targets specific weak points on the enemies the Warframe faces, with results that are often incredibly devastating. I'm sure the boss thinks this is overengineered, but I'm specialized in quantum computing, so I'd just like to take a moment for us all to acknowledge just how awesome these systems are.




The role of Equinox, with its Day form providing offensive support and Night form providing defensive capabilities is quite clear. Equinox can be the ace in the sleeve of a Tenno cell, adapting to wide spectrum of combat situations on the fly, bringing up chances of success of unpredictable operations. Despite a large amount of available documentation regarding the specifications of the Warframe, we have no evidence that it ever hit serial production (again), but it's absolutely a good choice for the Tenno today. Those using it should be mindful of the many possibilities it brings to the table, and use them like tools in a toolbox. A fitting analogy on the use of Warframes in general, really.

With utmost respect,

 ** _Wasta Dragg_** , Tenno (field) researcher.

Let your Study or your Hunt not be a waste.

 

 

> It has been a while since the last of these logs, hasn't it? I need one more than ever... by the Void, this was quite something. Fate has an odd way of playing with me. On the bright side, I can run faster than ever! As soon as I get used to these augments. I do hope nobody saw me stumble around with these once they released me from the medical ward, actually, wait, no, Maple saw me, why would I even think otherwise, little bugger probably got me the augments in the first place. I'm not sure if I should even be saying that "probably".
> 
> Also, someone else did my job for me! I did have to do a lot of editing of Wasta's work, but it was pretty damn competent. I'm quite glad he didn't get mauled by a charger back there. Add to that that my coma was a very convenient excuse to avoid getting dragged out to get shot at by stuff, and that these legs are one that is just as good, and you'd think I have it great! Well, I do. Except for the facts that I HAD... I had my legs cut off. By the Stalker. With a sword bigger than I am in the suit. Which is now sadly quite unusable, due to the leg parts being cut off. I need to get a suit without legs cut off.
> 
> Did I mention I had my legs cut off?
> 
> ...okay, okay. I need to calm down a bit. At least everyone made it out alive, although Rosidea is still on life support, if I understand correctly. Well, better her than me... my brain is quite scummy, isn't it. I don't want to kill random people, but if I can treat them as meat shield, it's all okay. It's what a cowardly scumbag like me deserves.
> 
> I suppose the question now is how I got into this situation. Got to go back to before the mission. Well, I was not about to get killed on an Infested ship somewhere. I wanted to take precautions. Fortunately, as it turns out, Selva's skill in making people not badger me extends to the field of requisitions. I have no idea how he did it, but he managed to get about two hundred thousand credits' worth of anti-Technocyte mods and three million worth of improved combat exosuits for the research team. Now, they aren't as good as our own suits, make no mistake. Mine is modded to the gills from my time back at Project Nullifier, and his is... well, you go check what it has in it. Just make sure you get a gas mask. Don't mistake what I did for caring for my men, though. I wanted to get out alive, and meatshields that trust me and don't keel over after one good hit is something quite conducive to that goal.
> 
> Why did we even get sent in there without proper escort? Funny story. Cephalon Cordylon has informed me of the details regarding my case soon after I was released from the medical ward. Apparently, it turns out that the size of security details attached to research teams was once checked before deployment, but the Cephalons responsible have been "reassigned" due to a perceived waste of valuable processing power. I am informed that those responsible for the aforementioned sacking have been sacked. Best thing I heard in a month.
> 
> Anyway, the mission. Even before the Stalker came, it was quite horrifying. Once you see Infested monstrosities charge at you, you really don't want to see that happen again. I managed to keep my composure, and Selva's was inscrutable as ever, hidden behind that massive helmet of his. I couldn't say the same for the researchers, and there was a very real danger of one of them running off and getting killed. Fortunately, I have been around a lot of commanders in my lifetime, and I picked up a couple of tricks from them. A few well placed words, an insult here or there, and people fall in line. Or, at least, they fall in line. Or, at least, they fall in line as much as you can make a bunch of civvies fall in line. There were a couple of dumb moves, and one particularly dumb move came from... Varyn, I think? Or was it Varen? Not sure. Wait, there were actually two of them. He's one of the Perrin guys, and I really can't remember anything about the other one, besides the fact that they decided that it would be a brilliant idea to run straight into a Charger to pummel him with their Cestras. Good thing Selva got those modules, or they'd be running to explode at us within minutes.
> 
> The worst thing about the whole operation was that the Tenno assigned to us weren't too helpful. We only got an Excalibur and a Mag, and both of them were sporting default paint sets and the kind of weapons you expect a colonist militia to use. How did they even get assigned to Eris?
> 
> Still, my Dera did work, Selva's Opticor did even more work, and all those sidearms beat down the flood of death by sheer numbers, if not accuracy or power. Eventually, we got to the objective, and it was... quite an odd sight. Chunks of Warframe were embedded into fleshy walls, the whole area had this odd, bluish glow, emanated by a small Arboriform in the middle of the room, and I swear that there was this one pillar you could move behind, only to end up on the opposite side of the room. Nobody believed me, but I still think there was something weird there.
> 
> We cleared out the area and got to work, with the Tenno keeping a lookout, along with Selva and I. There was some resistance at first, but the Infestation soon seemed to give up. This was definitely odd behaviour. The hivemind either decided that throwing resources at us would be a waste, or wanted to keep clear of the weird room. For a moment, we got relaxed, but I couldn't have a nice, clean run, against all odds. Nope. The Stalker was coming.
> 
> Everyone got that old tirade on their HUD. I saw it about a hundred times when I did my research on him, but it was quite something different when it was directed to someone in your vicinity. Apparently, the Excalibur, his Tenno apparently named... wait... oh, right, 133TPROPH3T, destroyed a Raptor production facility, and the red bastard didn't like that one bit. Well, at least I was paranoid for no reason. Turns out, I just have the luck of a stock trader investing on Viver back in the day.
> 
> I was quite content to let him take down that Warframe with a ridiculously named owner, but I had to put it some appearance of trying to help out. So, I had the researchers spread out in a wide perimeter, and, once the red eyesore showed up, I provided some suppressing fire. To my completely expected disappointment, meatshields were useless against the Stalker, as he focused on taking down only those he perceived as threats. That didn't help the poor folks who got caught in the energy beams, but, as far as I am concerned, they should have dodged better.
> 
> The Stalker was making good hits on the Excalibur, and I was foolishly hopeful that he'd take him down, so we can all finish our missions and go to a place less likely to have maggots sprout from the walls and try to kill you. I should really consider dropping that whole hope business. Or, at least, try to get smarter, because I failed to account that my highly modded Dera was at least two times better than the peashooters the Tenno used. Soon enough, the Stalker turned to me with a chilling... whisper? Whatever the nomenclature regarding that sound of his, the quality of my situation was dropping like a stock after an insider trading scandal, as the bastard ran towards me with that sword of his. My bullets soon became ineffective against him, and he was rapidly closing distance, all the while he was shooting energy beams at me. Fortunately, Selva was still effective, and was plinking away with his laser cannon. I dodged what I could, but Selva didn't, and had his helmet knocked off. His face was oddly young, with short, white hair and a curiously smooth skin for a veteran mercenary. This resulted in him dropping his weapon and scrambling like mad for his helmet. In the meantime, the Stalker kept attacking, and I took a couple of nasty hits, which depleted my shields. He was so close...
> 
> Time seemed to slow down, as it always seems to whenever I am supposed to die horribly. My rifle was ineffective, and he could just cut me down if I tried to run,so I had only one choice, and that was my Prova. However, that sword had a far better reach, so I had to do something brave. What I did was something stupid, which is just as good as bravery if the time is right.
> 
> I leaped into the air, swinging my Prova straight towards the Stalker's head. It connected with a resounding thud and the noise of Sentient defenses activating, but the sensation of satisfaction was soon replaced with a searing pain, followed by darkness. In retrospect, I'd have probably died then and there if I tried to attack him normally, but I probably should have tried to go under... no, wait, he'd just impale me as soon as he got out of his swing. As it turns out, I made the right choice, and the mission was soon finished with... well, tolerable casualties. In the weeks I have been in coma, the story of my battle somehow got distorted into me beating a Juggernaut with my bare hands. Somehow. Oh, well, more free coffee for me...ah, thank you, Selva, and what good timing, too!
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> _No problem, boss._
>> 
>> Before you go, can you answer a question for me?
>> 
>> _Is it about my helmet?_
>> 
>> Well, yes. I am sorry, but I need to understand why do you need it that much? Look, I saw you, you're young, but I don't mind! I appreciate...
>> 
>> _I'm a girl._
>> 
>> ...experience andwaitwhat?
>> 
>> _I am female, boss. Don't tell anyone, please._
>> 
>> Why... why do you keep that hidden?
>> 
>> _Bosses think that a girl will fail them. I won't fail you, boss._
>> 
>> ...so, uhh... we proceed as if nothing happened?
>> 
>> _Yup. See you, boss._
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> I swear, that... wait..can you even say that... that son of a bitch is hiding some weird shit from me, and he.. she... he isn't telling. I need to figure it out. Kaiathas, out.


	13. Rhino

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/59prsi/research_report_rhino/

 

> In a very pleasant turn of events, I haven't been on any life-threatening adventures ever since I got my legs cut off, unless one counts falling down two sets of stairs because I underestimated just how much power these legs have. I gave them a bit of a test the other day, and... wow. I'm pretty sure I could outspeed one of the slower Warframes with these things, even considering all those maneuvers they pull off in their normal movement. I might just be the best equipped coward on the Relay right now!
> 
> I'm finally settling back into the old routine... now, routine, that's an interesting thing. I'm trying to keep it the same after Selva's revelation, but I'm finding that doing that is not at easy as it seems. For all my best intents to keep my bodyguard happy with me, which keeps me alive and happy by extension... as much as I'd like to focus on... look, it's not exactly easy to feel right and proper when you figure out your bodyguard has been hiding something like their gender all this time, and, once you finally find out about the secret, you don't feel any sort of closure. In my mind, small and cowardly as it might be, there is no way that this is only about people not trusting a female merc, especially considering the suit Selva's wearing. There are a bunch of female Comba and Scrabuses... Scrambii? Whatever the plural of that word might be, as far as my experience goes, female mercs don't have those kinds of problems these days.
> 
> In spite of all this, Selva's keeping up appearances, inscrutable as she, or he, or whatever ever was. That helmet is still on all the time, and that suit still reeks of a swamp. An Infested swamp, actually. That thing smells so bad, it probably has a population of microorganisms that has managed to evolve to the point of forming an unified empire and sending out their first, tiny colony ships in search of other places to stink up. Maybe, the bastards already have their own microscopic Warframes by this point. That's how bad that suit smells.
> 
> I don't know, I guess I'm okay as long as I am alive, so I won't press the issue, but this is going to bite me in the ass like an angry Kubrow, I tell you. Probably beats the alternative, though, which is getting bitten in the ass by an Opticor blast. Or something. I'm not too keen on finding out. So, routine.
> 
> It seems like everyone I talk to had a different kind of life before ending up on Larunda. For the ex-Corpus folk like me, it generally went a bit like this:
> 
>   * 06:00: Get awoken by a Tech-Sergeant mumbling something or other about profit and the lack of value of sleep. Nevermind the fact that he has at least one nap every time he's on guard duty. Hypocrite.
>   * 06:10: Inspection and mandatory prayer, with the "ritual" bribery, should anything contraband be found. I really hated that part of the day. I had to keep up the appearance of being a good little indoctrinated boxhead, so a single slip up here would probably earn me a sternly worded letter for disobedience, a pay cut for lack of respect for the regulations, and summary execution for the desecration of the Corpus dogma. High command really hates defective indoctrinees.
>   * 06:30: Prayer finished, breakfast time. Considering just how foul the nutritive paste we got back then was, I often chose to not break any fasts under excuse of religion, and, instead, nick something remotely edible from the higher ups. Some might consider doing that dumb, and likely to get me shot. Thing is, I am really good at stealing usable food and not being spotted, or, at least, identified. That's one of the reasons I kept my sanity on Neptune.
>   * 07:00: Drills. I always gave my best at those for two reasons. One, it made me look like a dedicated boxhead, ready to lay his life down in a moment's notice in the name of Profit. Two, the drills helped out my actual goal of being the boxhead that got to a safe distance from all the pain and suffering in record time, who could then proceed to keep it at a distance through liberal application of plasma.
>   * 08:00: Guard duty. It takes a special kind of mind to be able to walk the same grey halls twelve hours a day, every day. To achieve that without going nuts, I made the art of silly walking into a perfection, and gave each pillar in my patrol area a name and an intricate backstory. Always loved the story of Dar've, the left mess hall pillar, nay, bastion of holy Profit, carrier of a ten thousand burdens, he who stood before the Betrayers and stands once more, friend of Marvinluder the Kavat... I was kind of crazy, wasn't I?
>   * 14:00: Lunch time. Sadly, the nutritive paste was pretty much inevitable here. The three times I managed to get proper food at lunch time were when a Tech-Commander forgot his packed lunch, when I somehow became Viver's crewman of the day, and the last day before I left the station for Project Nullifier.
>   * 14:30: Guard duty: the reguardening! Ugh.
>   * 20:30: Dinner! Everyone got something solid for this meal. Apparently, Viver was one of the lucky stations in that respect. As I recall, our meals didn't taste much of anything, but at least they were solid.
>   * 21:00: The suffering of guard duty is over for the day, but riding on its coattails a different kind of suffering: the trading period. It was a period of false hope for a paid promotion, shattered every time by my incompetence at the financial markets. At least I managed to break even. Some of the other guys didn't. Nasty stuff, losing your rank due to a stock crashing. But quite karmic, in the case of one of my sergeants. The hypocrite I mentioned earlier was nothing compared to this bloke. At least that clod made an effort to perform his job adequately. This Void-accursed, pathetic excuse for a human being whose name does not deserve to be mentioned got into his position with inheritance money, and used all his time to torment the lower ranks. I wish I could have seen his face once he got his demotion.
>   * 22:30: Trading is over, now pray for success, because Profit. With the way Corpus markets work, no wonder we are so religious. Only a Cephalon or a sociopath can work out how those work properly, unless you happen to be named Darvo. No wonder our leadership is crap. At least Darvo has Clem to soak up the insanity for him. Or something.
>   * 23:00: Free time. Indoctrinees were supposed to take this time to, and I quote one of the officials from Neptune here, "bask in the glory of Profit and the good it brings to the universe". I just took the time to bask in the glory of pretty much any form of entertainment material I could find and pass off as perfectly legal.
>   * 24:00: Sleep. It's either that, or they make your exosuits knock you out anyway.
> 

> 
> All that being said, Viver was still leagues ahead of Neptune... Neptune... I... I need to take a moment now.
> 
> ...
> 
> Better.
> 
>  
>
>> _Are you sure, Kaiathas?_
>> 
>> Who in the Void are you... wait... you are Maple, aren't you? Don't even need to turn around for that.
>> 
>> _Yes. I never knew about crewman life. Thank you._
>> 
>> Uhh... no problem? I have a question. Actually, I have several questions.
>> 
>> _Proceed._
>> 
>> First off, what are you doing in the middle of the civilian section of the Relay with that Ivara of yours?
>> 
>> _Wanted to check up on you._
>> 
>> Could you have done that without creeping up on me like that while I am having a moment? It's really unpleasant!
>> 
>> _It is?_
>> 
>> How do you... oh, right, Tenno. I understand that you lot aren't supposed to talk with people, so just remember that...what you did is generally not considered polite.
>> 
>> _Okay._
>> 
>> Second question: Tenno aren't supposed to talk!
>> 
>> _That's... not a question?_
>> 
>> How are you talking to me? Aren't Tenno supposed to be mute?
>> 
>> _It's just hard. But I practiced._
>> 
>> Third question: How long have you been here? Don't you have... Grineer to kill or something?
>> 
>> _Ten minutes. Killed them already, how I got those augments. Glad you like them._
>> 
>> ...okay? Fourth question: why me, and why are you helping me so much?
>> 
>> _I like you. You need help. Therefore, I like to help you._
>> 
>> ...well, you're not wrong. Sixth question: why wait for so long to talk to me?
>> 
>> _I couldn't before. Most of us can't do it like this. It's still really tiring._
>> 
>> Seventh question: Why do you like me?
>> 
>> _Because you are a good man._
>> 
>> That is the single biggest untruth I have ever heard in my life, and I'm quite a good liar. After all you know about me, why?
>> 
>> _Because of that, too._
>> 
>> Uhh... well, can I at least get to see the Tenno who saved my sorry hide?
>> 
>> _Sure._
>> 
>> Wait, you aren't actually doing it, are you... you are... do you want a handshake... oh.
>> 
>> _Sorry, can't stay here for much longer. This is too tiring. I need to get back to my ship while I still can. Take care, it seems you will need it._
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> Wow. I need to ask better questions. And the way Maple dumbstruck me was quite something. I need to get prepared somehow for situations like this. The worst part is, I'm not sure if Maple's a prepubescent boy or a teenaged girl. Or a woman? Could be either with the Tenno; that short hairstyle and bodysuit don't exactly highlight sexual characteristics. There is far too much gender confusion in my life right now. I need to take a moment to myself.
> 
> ... at least Maple was quiet enough for the walls. I have a Rhino to cut up in two hours, and I really need a break. And I really, really need some coffee about now. Kaiathas, out.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, today, a Warframe I am sure most of you used at some point in your lives arrived to my laboratory. Rhino, as I understand it, is one of the oldest Warframe models, and is incredibly popular amongst freshly awakened Tenno due to how simple he is to use and, more importantly, how tough he is to take down. Indeed, the particular specimen we have been provided with was not disabled in combat. It is merely a Prime model supposed to undergo a scheduled maintenance run while its operator is inactive. We were allowed to do some minor dissection before it is sent for the maintenance. Because of that, we were not able to do as detailed of an examination as we'd like, but that is okay, due to the abundance of Orokin-era documents related to the Warframe. This also eased up work for our researchers, who are currently understaffed due to an unfortunate incident with the Stalker. If you're a Tenno reading this, you probably know all about it already. Whoever you may be, you might be pleased to hear that Rosidea and Takil have managed to regain consciousness, and should be back with us within a month.

As ever, for our Syndicate allies, an identification guide. Rhino is a decisively masculine, broad Warframe. The key identifying features are his (quite functional) musculature, long codpiece, and the bestial sounds he produces when activating its abilities. The Warframe, as is the case with many older models, has a large number of cosmetic variations, but these three traits are shared by practically all variations. Do note that some Operators have elected to use aesthetically damaged Rhino Warframe variations, so do not be concerned if your Tenno support looks as if it just went through a Grineer artillery barrage.

Rhino is often seen alone, but, in a cell, he provides a wide mix of useful benefits to him and his allies. If you are a field operative, just keep in mind than many freshly awakened Tenno choose to pilot this Warframe. As a general rule, the less impressive looking the Warframe, the less experienced the Tenno using it.

The internals of this Warframe are refreshingly simple. Rhino doesn't actually have much of a exoskeleton, and the plates you see on his surface aren't just decorative. Cutting in deeper, one can see a complex biomechanical system responsible for the Warframe's incredible power, and, according to the specifications, the ability systems are securely located further below this layer. This simple, yet effective construction allows for an incredibly reliable Warframe, with the specifications also indicating a number of places where future upgrades can be installed. This was already done once, back when the Heavy Impact module was implemented into Rhino's internals, along with a number of other improvements. This kind of simple construction would later be replicated and modified for the construction of Inaros. It must be noted that Rhino has a high proportion of biological to mechanical components, which allows for a high degree of self-repair. There seem to be vestigial systems in the Warframe which would have been used for conversion of bio matter into energy or protection, but, for some reason, they were scrapped.

As with the construction, the abilities used by this Warframe are implemented using simple systems.

  * Rhino Charge simply propels the Warframe forward, using a modification of Excalibur's Slash Dash systems. Later on, these systems were modified to store excess kinetic energy, which allows successive charges to be increasingly more powerful. It is a simple ability, using the age-tested principle of something heavy hitting something soft with something of a ludicrous speed. The ability possesses an augment module which improves the energy recycling process and diverts the extra saved energy into a kinetic barrier around the Warframe, which improves the defensive properties of its armour plating.

  * Iron Skin uses Void energy to create an extra layer of Ferrite plating from the surrounding air around the Warframe. This plating allows extra stability for Rhino, as well as admirable protection, making this Warframe a favourite for dealing with under equipped enemies, whose weapons merely bounce off the plating. The ability was further improved by the addition of the Reactive Defence Subsystem, a modular system used by a number of other Warframes with abilities similar to this one. While the Iron Skin is still solidifying, it gathers data from any damage the Rhino takes, and uses it to slightly adapt the plating's molecular composition for optimal protection. Sadly, Iron Skin is unstable, and, after taking too much damage, turns back into air. This ability also possesses an augmentation module, which exploits this effect by weaponizing the Iron Skin's structural integrity by prematurely discharging it, resulting in devastating shrapnel.

  * Roar, similarly to Valkyr's Warcry, merely discharges a large amount of Void energy, which then overcharges the weapon systems of any surrounding allies. While the ability is simple in principle, it has a number of interesting subsystems that make it identify and improve pretty much any weapon out there, from wooden clubs to black hole launchers. As much as some of the members of my team would like to elaborate on it, I am afraid it requires an advanced grasp of neural recognition technologies to fully appreciate. An augmentation for this ability also makes it weaken enemy weapon systems, although, as I understand it, this decrease is not large enough for the module to be used often.

  * Finally, Stomp uses an eclectic combination of the Warframe's massive strength and an experimental time distortion subsystem (which would later be improved and reused in Nova) to turn the kinetic energy from a massively powerful stomp into a number of localized time distortion fields. This launches any nearby targets into the air and freezes them there, making them highly vulnerable to getting shot to pieces. The development logs we have available actually mention the backstory behind this ability: Stomp was originally just a high powered punch, and I believe some of the first Tenno to reawaken actually used models with that configuration for a while (early Awakening data is notoriously unreliable due to a lack of the organizational backbone since established by the Lotus), but the effects were found to be lacking, and far too likely to cause an unintentional hull breach in attacked ships. The head Archimedian desired the power to be refocused in a more useful fashion, and thus Stomp was added to Rhino's arsenal.




All data indicates that Rhino was designed to be an all-rounder like Excalibur, but with slightly more of a focus on survivability instead of offense. I don't have an idea how well it performed in the Old War, but if he was anywhere as useful to the Tenno back then as he is now, the Sentients must have learned to fear that roar of his. For anyone interested in some more advanced details, I believe the report you are looking for is up at any Larunda data link with the proper authorization. May the tools of your trade never betray you,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist


	14. Nyx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/5j1ev0/research_report_nyx/

 

> Sigh...it's high time to do one of these logs... For a man who just got a pay raise through some skillful negotiation and even more skillful interpretation of ancient Orokin law, I am really in a horrible mood. Actually, no. It wasn't skillful. I just pointed out to Cordylon just how many times I ended up in mortal danger during my relatively short employment, and got Selva to start spewing legalese at the conglomeration of cubes in question until it relented and gave me the extra platinum. And gave my team the job of doing some Warframe maintenance in addition to the standard dissection and research duty. Fine by me, I'll just continue being the face that runs the place... and just takes up space...
> 
> I need to confront this problem. I am probably in the best situation of my life, but that brings me back to Neptune. Why? I wish I knew. I suppose, since I'm so well off, I have to remember the worst part of my life. The indoctrination temple was horrible, and what's worse is that... I have been repressing a lot of memories, and they are all coming back. I am trying to keep reoccupied and not think too hard about them, but... I...
> 
> I feel worthless, scared, nervous, depressed. Turns out, being in constant danger for the majority of my life kept me sufficiently distracted from that place, and I have no idea what to do now. I'm sure there are people who are able to help me on the Relay, but I have a reputation, and a mental breakdown wouldn't do it any favours. Actually, no, I don't think I can even talk about that place. The more I think of it, the more of the trauma comes back. Distraction, distraction, need one.
> 
> One comes to mind, thank the Void. During our meeting, Maple left something for me. Took me a while to notice it. I suppose I was too shocked by the whole idea of a Tenno visiting me in the flesh. It's some sort of a small device, jury rigged to a display screen. I have no idea why did I get it, or how does one even go about obtaining such a device, but it seems to be hooked up to the Tenno communications channels! However, a good chunk of the output seems to be garbage, and I don't mean that in the sense of the discussions' quality. A small part of legible enough to be understood, though, and it is really odd. I expected a more formal tone, or some sort of a militaristic protocol, such as what I saw in my own experience, but the Tenno seem to be very laid back when not committing small-scale genocide. I have been taking a crash course on similar devices in hopes of fixing the communicator, and it has been an useful distraction, but it's not good enough.
> 
> I need help. Or, maybe, something actively trying to kill me. I have cheated death far too many times, so I probably have it coming, and that's without taking into account just how horrible of a person I am, wait, no, I can't say that. Must stay alive. That is the crux of what I am.
> 
> Still, Selva seems to be nervous about something, too. She... He has somehow become even more terse in his way of talking. When not spewing legalese or reporting on some sort of a mission, the most I have been able out of him at a time were two sentences. Something is up, and I get the feeling that I'm about to get dragged into it. Might help me. Might not. Will distract me, at any rate.
> 
> Speaking of distractions, the team just got a Nyx ready for repairs and dissection. I should probably check out what got the Steel Meridian enclave in such a mood, too. Something big, apparently. Well, I have an hour or so. Just gotta keep appearances up. Kaiathas, out.

Honourable Tenno, I understand that a certain recent event has been very favourable to your cause. Although the exact details are still above my security clearance, the Steel Meridian enclave has been absolutely ecstatic over some rumours concerning their (former) Queens. I do not know what they make their alcohol out of, but it is some good stuff, and the fact that they gave a bunch of it to a research team headed by an ex-Corpus should tell you just how happy the syndicate is right now. Whatever it is that happened, be careful. I cannot imagine that the Grineer will allow you any large victories over them without retribution. You are the only thing keeping this station Grineer-free, and the people here would like it to stay that way.

Today's Warframe is a heavily decorated Nemesis Nyx, sent to us for repairs as part of our team's new maintenance duties. The horn structure on her helmet was vaporized by an unfortunate shotgun blast in a high-security Orokin Tower. The Tenno using the Warframe was able to complete the mission, but suffered massive headaches. Using a replacement part provided to our team, we were able to return the Warframe to full combat potential, but not before a full system maintenance procedure (and the full body examination required for it) was performed.

Judging by the Orokin documentation available to us, Nyx is certainly one of the oldest Warframe designs out there. She appears to be the first attempt at a crowd control focused model, and, just like with Excalibur, one can see a number of unused, vestigial, and completely undocumented subsystems, presumably a product of the highly experimental and secretive nature of early Warframe development. Some of these appear to be early shield system prototypes, others are geared to the production of hallucinogenic gas, and yet others seem to be an early form of reactive armour controls later seen in the Armoured Agility module. Otherwise, Nyx's internals are quite unremarkable, featuring a similar configuration to Excalibur, but with some armour plates being replaced with Void energy cells.

At this point, I would like to go on a somewhat unrelated tangent. The Nemesis chassis configuration (or, more simply, the Nemesis skin) shows some very odd traits. To understand why they are odd, one must know how Warframe skins work: they simply replace the Warframe's exterior chassis layer with minimum possible alteration to the underlying subsystems. This is not the case with the Nemesis skin; it possesses a rather complex subsystem whose entire role is to integrate the skin's main systems with the rest of the Warframe. Why is this required? Because the Nemesis skin seems to have been designed to work without Void energy.

Needless to say, this is incredibly unusual and runs completely contrary to all other Warframe designs, with the exception of the Proto-Excalibur skin. Furthermore, both of these skins go completely unmentioned in all Orokin documents in the Tenno archives. My team has come to a hypothesis that the Warframes were a technology that already existed prior to the loss of the Zariman, and were only adapted to Transference after that event. Of course, the theory has no bearing on Tenno operations today, and will probably never be confirmed or denied, but it is an academically interesting theory, in my opinion.

Back to the usual report. As always, an identification guide for Nyx, made for our non-Tenno allies. This model can be best described as a female Excalibur, with a body type to match, but a vastly different helmet. Both Warframes feature horn-like structures, but while Excalibur has a short, stubby one, Nyx has a long horn structure which wraps around to the back of her head. Of course, there are numerous cosmetic variants on this theme, but look for the big structure wrapping around the back of the head, and you won't be confused.

Nyx focuses on crowd control, and, in a Tenno cell, her job is to control the damage headed for her allies by redirecting it via hallucinations, mind control, and a big, trauma absorbing bubble. Make especially sure that your IFF modules are properly configured, and do not shoot at enemies with Lotus symbols floating around them; they are being controlled by Nyx and are not a threat to you at this point.

The abilities used by this Warframe show simple, but effective solutions to the problems brought on by the Old War, and a few more recent modifications made possible with an advanced understanding of Void manipulations:

  * Nyx possesses a prototypal Radial Disarm system, later reused in Loki with some major modifications. It went unused until quite recently, when it was adapted to attempt to disarm any enemy affected by Nyx's abilities. The system is a far cry from the reliability of Loki's ability, but it's still better than nothing.

  * We have some data available on the development of the Mind Control ability. According to a set of development logs recently recovered from Lua by a lone Tenno operative, attempts were made to create a true mind control ability, but were abandoned after early experiments showed that actually achieving this effect would require a large number of wildly different approaches (How do you control a robot, and how do you control an Infested quadruped? Biped?), which necessitated a change of plan. Fortunately, a solution was found, although it was quite different from the original design; attempting to override any exosuits, prosthetics, or artificial musculature used by the opposing forces proved to be a far simpler and flexible approach. As for the Infested, Nyx uses her operator's power to create a sort of a Transference by proxy, made possible by their similarity to Warframes.

  * In more recent times, this ability was integrated with Absorb by the addition of a modified shield around the controlled enemy. In addition to improving the target's survivability, it allows the Tenno cell to accumulate damage necessary for the execution of the victim once Mind Control's effects wear off. An augmentation module further improves the usage of these shields by redirecting any excess energy in a similar fashion to a Serration-type module.

  * Psychic Bolts can basically be described as a low-power Radial Javelin in implementation. It is not quite clear to us which of the abilities came first, but, nevertheless, they both function on the principle of creating targeted energy projectiles. The projectiles used by Nyx are different in that they sacrifice destructive power for a radioactive effect, which disrupts all standard IFF modules and targeting systems. Anyone who has ever had the good fortune to modify their weapon for radioactive damage should know just how disruptive that can be. Or so my bodyguard tells me. Well, what he told me was "Radiation's good. Makes 'em dumb.", so make of that statement what you will. In any case, this ability also has an augmentation module available, and it uses Mind Control's systems at a significantly reduced power level to temporarily disable anyone affected by the Psychic Bolts.

  * With the logs that detailed the development of Mind Control came a number of comments on the implementation of the Chaos ability. It would seem that one of the early, unsuccessful implementations of that ability was based on the desire to achieve Transference over unwilling, biological targets. Whether that is achievable or not (outside of the Infested) is not within this team's field of expertise, but, nevertheless, the prototypal subsystem was not able to achieve this effect. What it did achieve was to send random impulses in the test subjects' neural systems, resulting in a state of heightened aggression and disorientation. As it might be clear to you by this point, the prototype was further developed to create the Chaos ability. An augmentation module improves its target acquisition, making it possible to affect enemies who get within Chaos's range even after the ability's usage.

  * Finally, Absorb creates a Void-powered telekinetic bubble around Nyx. Any form of damage headed towards the Warframe is, as the name implies, absorbed, even including melee attacks. When the ability is terminated, all the absorbed energy explodes outward in a shockwave backed with a powerful electromagnetic pulse. Although impressive in appearance and effect, the implementation is quite simple: Nyx simply uses Void energy as a powerful kinetic barrier. This produces stress on the barriers, not unlike a compressed spring, and when Absorb ends, the metaphorical string is simply released. The only complex part to this ability is the subsystem which is in charge of directing the kinetic barriers, and even it is simply a reprogrammed generic Warframe IFF module. Unfortunately, all this power does come at a cost of mobility, as the Warframe is forced to be completely still for the duration of the ability. If my understanding of the algorithms required for these systems is correct, that is because their complexity rises exponentially with increasing speed due to inability to use a number of logical shortcuts and lookup tables. However, even this restriction is fixed with an augmentation module, which simply provides more computing power to the relevant subsystem, albeit at the cost of some area of effect for the ability.




Nyx is, if not powerful, at least very disruptive. The design could use improvements, but the same can be said of Excalibur, and he's one of the most used Warframes out there. As long as one respects the frailty of this Warframe and doesn't get their horn-thing shot off, they will be a master of the battlefield, turning enemies against one another in a pandemonium of bullets, plasma, and/or flesh. May the Corpus fear you more than the market crashes you cause,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer


	15. Nidus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/5soi3m/research_report_nidus/

 

> > No response yet, Bardin?
>> 
>> _Actually, the misguided family has responded to your highly reasonable requests with a torrent of very unsavoury words, Captain. They are not yielding._
>> 
>> Very well then. Their pride shall be their downfall. Set a course for their residence and activate the new proxies.
>> 
>> _Do not take this as disobedience, but this simple Cephalon has to inquire if using power on the proxies is necessary? My data almost completely precludes the possibility of an effective defence from your future business partners, even accounting for my flaws._
>> 
>> What have we to gain by not activating them? A bit of extra power? It is a small price to pay for ensuring the success the raid. Besides, it will be a lovely demonstration of my power, and something I can use to inspire the respect that I deserve. Now, stop that unproductive line of thought and begin executing my orders. That Braton Prime in the cargo hold is just aching to release its secrets to me, and I do not appreciate being delayed by a machine that does not know its place.
>> 
>> _Of course, Captain. You speak the truth, as always. We are en route._

* * *

 

> It is getting harder and harder to force myself to make these. In fact, it is getting harder and harder to get myself to do anything at all. I don't even like coffee anymore. Not like I used to. If I could, I'd just sleep and sit at my computer all day.
> 
> I'm sad, and at this point, I'm not even sure why. The memories of... that place keep coming back, but you'd expect horror. Insomnia. But, no. I'm just sad. I keep feeling like I don't deserve what I have, but it's not that. I went through worse in my life. So why is it that remembering my childhood crushes me like it does? Why? WHY?!
> 
> That scream was the most emotion I felt in a week. I don't know what else to talk about. I couldn't even fix Maple's thingy. So close, yet so far. It doesn't matter anyway. Kaiathas, signing...
>
>> **Boss!**
>> 
>> Don't worry, Selva, it's nothing, go...
>> 
>> **Not that, need your help!**
>> 
>> I don't...
>> 
>> **Shuttle ready at the floor -1 port, follow, will explain!**
>> 
>> Look, I can't...
>> 
>> **Sigh... Boss, this is way too serious for this crap!**
>> 
>> Huh?
>> 
>>  **Let me** _take this thing off for a bit so you know how serious this is. Mr. Kahn, I need your help right now, and I am not taking no for an answer, so get Maple if you can and..._
>> 
>> How do you know the na...
>> 
>> _Thin walls, remember? Now, if someone were to, say, notice a shout, and then lay one of their ears in the right spot, they could hear a whole lot of interesting and incriminating things from the shoutee's room, and, coincidentally, this is what I'd like you to keep in mind should you choose to not help me out._
>> 
>> Bu...
>> 
>> _I'll answer all your questions on the shuttle, because it's a long way to Europa, isn't it? You have about five minutes to get your gear, and I know for a fact your paranoid buckethead ass can do it in one, so get moving!_
>> 
>> ... buckethead?

* * *

 

> Hello, Maple. Normally, I record these logs as a way to relax myself after getting traumatised by all the crap the universe seems to throw at me for the audacity I display in the act of merely existing. However... I do not want to calm down. It has been too long since I felt this way, and once everything is back to normal, it will be back to that horrible, inescapable, and, worst of all, inexplicable depression.
> 
> So, I suppose the question would be why am I doing this, and why am I specifically addressing this to you? Well, for now, I'll just say that I have been informed you would be interested in what happened today. I'll explain more later on.
> 
> Let's get back to the start of this whole affair. So, my own bodyguard has been spying on me, and was trying to drag me into what is most likely a bullet-saturated environment, and I have absolutely no way of wiggling out of it. I wish I could say that was something highly unusual, but even compulsive liars like me have to draw a line somewhere. And yet, if I knew what was going to happen, I would... oh, I can't lie, I'd probably still strongly consider doing this. I am, above all, someone who plans to live longer than the Orokin, given the chance, but the state in mind I was in was horrible. Look, I know the Tenno are not psychologists, and probably have their own demons to fight, but I am still looking for a cure without having to reveal to the world at large how messed up I am, and I just don't know what to do.
> 
> My pathetic problems aside, I got my gear, that comms device you left, and ran to the civilian docks to get into Selva's private shuttle. After my run in with the Stalker, I needed some new armour on account of the my old set reacting poorly to Void energy beams, so I got in contact with some of the Perrin Sequence quartermasters and bought myself a Tech-grade exosuit a couple of weeks back. The bastards tried to convince me to shell out double the money for one of their standard operative suits. Wasn't gonna happen. The Corpus exosuits are boxy, hotter than the surface of the sun, the on-board computers are just slightly more reliable than Nef Anyo, and that's without even going into the fact that they make you feel like a corpse in a faulty trash compactor. However, the many years I spent wearing them made me feel naked without one, and I am certainly no nudist, so to speak.
> 
> But I digress. I got into the shuttle. It's a tiny little thing which can just barely support interplanetary travel, but it was still better than the things from my crewman days. Half of those couldn't even function as a boat... Anyway, after Selva ran into the cockpit to punch in the coordinates of whatever hellscape I was about to get dropped into, she sat across from me. I finally got a chance to take a good look at her without a helmet. Without a doubt, Selva is very young, considering her line of work. Her face is smooth, scarless, and, most of all, extremely pale. Even with her white hair, which would normally somewhat lessen the impact of such a skin tone, it is blindingly obvious that the paleness is far from normal. Her eyes are brown, small, and slanted, and, at that time, they were nervously running back and forth across the shuttle, looking for nothing in particular.
> 
> I had questions, and it was high time that I started asking them.
>
>> Okay, Selva. What's REALLY with the act you had going on, and where in the name of the Void and all the Profit lost within it are we going?
>> 
>> _And all the Profit lost within it? Good one, stealing it! So, same answer to the both of the questions: I am the sole daughter of Keln and Varia Zinik, and we are a family that got rich on anti-grav technology development, so you'd think I'd want to stay there, but I really didn't, because they wanted me to do all the trading and accounting because I am female, but I couldn't because I cannot learn that, so I..._
>> 
>> Slow down, please! By the stars, don't tell me your entire life story in one sentence!
>> 
>> _Sorry, I get a bit carried away. I'll try, but it's hard for me._
>> 
>> Thank you. So, you stopped at running away. I didn't quite understand why.
>> 
>> _In my family, it's traditional that the woman cuts deals, trades stocks, and does everything that deals with Profit. But I just can't understand how to do any of that, no matter how hard they tried to teach me! I tried to memorise the basics of trading one-credit stocks thirty-four times! I never could, but whenever I got together with my brothers, I soaked up their knowledge like a sponge. Now, they were supposed to go off for Tech-Sergeant training before I ran off, and I think they got back home by now. Before that, they did hovertech testing, obstacle courses, manual piloting, and, of course, Orokin and Corpus law. I loved being with them so much! I wanted to be like them, but my parents didn't let me, because someone had to deal with Profit. For the next year, I gave my best, and I couldn't be what they wanted me to be. I didn't want to see my family fail because of me, but they were so persistent. I had to do something, so I ran, because thought they would find someone who could do a proper job once I was out of the picture, so I stole a Fog Scrambus suit and some weapons they had at the time and some weapons and made a run for it with this shuttle, and then..._
>> 
>> Selva?
>> 
>> _Sorry, as I said, it's hard for me not to get carried away. It's the reason I don't talk much with the helmet on. So, the helmet. I ran to a civilian space station in orbit of Europa. As it turns out, someone with gear and training like mine can only really find mercenary work, but people want gruff, dumb muscle, and I don't fit the description. I also needed to hide from my parents as long as I could. So, I put the Fog helmet on, and barely took it off for the last four years, and good thing I did too. I had twenty two bosses before you, Mr. Kahn. I only parted amicably with two. The whole dumb muscle act makes them underestimate me, so when they ask me to go kick some puppies or round up some slaves, I just cited a couple of failsafe clauses I would hide in the contract, and I was free, and generally a whole lot richer off of their accounts. Bastards never saw it coming. Well, two of them did, but it distracted them from my Lecta._
>> 
>> Maybe I should look through your contract once I get back ho...
>> 
>> _Nope, Steel Meridian is pretty nitpicky about those things, couldn't get anything past them._
>> 
>> So, why did you come work with me, and how does this all figure into what we're doing now?
>> 
>> _All that time, I still watched over my parents, ready to return if something pretty bad came up. Just before you hired me, some pathetic excuse for a human being started a protection company on Europa. Bah, the only thing they protect you from is themselves. Racketeers, the lot of them, but they were good at what they did. They hit a bunch of families and companies, and it was a matter of time before they got to the Ziniks. I needed to be ready, but it was so hard to get any info on their movements. What I needed were the Tenno databases. That's where you and Steel Meridian came in. While I was working with you, I used the authorization I got with you employing me and a couple of old Zinik tricks to keep tabs on the racketeers' ship. They are now moving towards my family, and I need as much help as I can get, and, by the way, I want a raise for a reason completely unrelated to the things I just said to you._
>> 
>> You are dragging me to get shot by a bunch of thugs with what is probably Neptune-grade equipment, and you think you deserve a raise?
>> 
>> _Yes._
>> 
>> But... yeah, I can't really do anything that will result in you not getting a raise, right.
>> 
>> _Nope. Thin walls, Mr. Kahn._
>> 
>> Speaking of which, what's with the groaning noises from your hab block?
>> 
>> _A girl has needs, boss, and the network connection over there is really good._
>> 
>> ...
>> 
>> ...
>> 
>> ...
>> 
>> _...say, did all that fiddling with your Tenno box do anything? Have you tried giving it a smack?_
>> 
>> No, but there's no way that would work and thud it just started working but how.
> 
> At this point, I should probably mention that I was trying to get the comms device working for the duration of the conversation. Up to this point, the text showing up on it was mostly scrambled. However, Selva's percussive maintenance somehow managed to fix one of the communication channels on the device. Specifically, it was your clan's chat channel, Maple. You know, I really should have guessed Tenno technology can be fixed by the thing you all do best. Here's what happened next.
>
>> _Hema research is finally complete. Smeeta kavats best kavats. Why does every clan need to research everything separately, anyway? I'm out for the next week._
>> 
>> dissenter: hey maple just getting the daily bonus right? :)
>> 
>> archon: you know, i wish i could blame maple for taking a break, but i know that i dont want to see a single infested for the next year after all the farming if i can help it
>> 
>> archon: i cant
>> 
>> pillarOfSalt: morning people! What's everyone been up to?
> 
> I have no idea what any of that meant, but I was looking for some sort of a input thingy on the device. After pressing a small button on the back, this happened.
>
>> Maple: [Rescue Mission]
>> 
>> pillarOfSalt: wtf is this?
>> 
>> archon: its like a mission link, how do you do that?
>> 
>> pillarOfSalt: idk this is really weird, doesn't even show the mission node
>> 
>> dissenter: lets do this whatever it is!
>> 
>> pillarOfSalt: don't we want a fourth?
>> 
>> archon: with this shit? HELL NO
>> 
>> dissenter: okay we are on our way ^_^
>> 
>> archon: can you explain whats going on?
> 
> Well, I couldn't. Nothing to type on. While your friends were being confused on the channel, we were making steady progress towards Europa. I am really glad the Tech exosuits can be fully sealed from the environment, otherwise I don't think I could have made it, considering the stench of Selva's suit. Once, I compared it to Infested vomit, but after getting used to it, I realised that's too much of an insult. You see, I realised that one is a biochemical weapon of war, and the other merely has a Technocyte problem.
> 
> Eventually, we reached our destination. Later on, I would learn that Selva just used some of her old passcodes to land us near the house without any issue. It was actually fairly small for a wealthier Corpus family, but it was close to the terraformation tower on the planet and was surrounded by the local variety of trees, with pin-like leaves. Immediately upon exiting the shuttle, we were greeted by the sight of two fairly old people sharing Selva's unique white hair and slanted eyes, flanked by a pair of red-suited boxheads. The older man immediately went on a tirade.
>
>> **Oh, look who's back. Got bored of being a filthy merc? Why do you expect we'll help after what you did to us?**
>> 
>> _No, don't be like this, Keln. Selva, why did you do this to us? You just went away and didn't explain it, and three years later, we find you to be working as a gun for hire! Why couldn't you be like Lei and Maiden here? I was..._
>> 
>> _Mom, dad, this is important, there's a bunch of lowlifes headed for you, and you won't..._
>> 
>> **Oh shut up, a racketeer with an ego can't do anything to us, we told him off days ago, and he still hasn't done anything.**
>> 
>> _WHAT? DID YOU EVEN SEE WHAT THEY DID? COME ON, LEI, TELL ME YOU ACTUALLY COLLECTED INFO, I KNOW YOU ALWAYS DO THAT!_
>> 
>> **_Tried to tell them, sis. Dad, do you believe me now?_ **
>> 
>> **No, do you have no faith in what we've made? Do you really want to side with the filthy traitor? Maiden, please tell me you're still sane!**
>> 
>> **_I'm with Lei on this, dad, so it's three of us versus you. Let her help you!_ **
>> 
>> _Keln, she probably has a good explanation for why she did what she did, calm down and listen._
>> 
>> **_Oh go straight to the Void, all of you, including you, buckethead! What are you looking at? Are you her little minion? Who are you anyway?_ **
>> 
>> Mr. Selva, I realise you are angry, and for a good reason, but please, what's important is that the situation is important enough for the Tenno to...
>> 
>> **Filthy betrayers, WHAT DO THEY WANT WITH...**
> 
> Keln's incandescent rage was interrupted by a voice booming out from somewhere in the sky. These were our racketeers.
>
>> Greetings, Sir and Madam Zinik. It would seem my highly reasonable offers for your safety have been crudely ignored by your family. I must admit, getting called an, and I quote, "despicable, bottom feeding, pathetic excuse for life too ugly to be mistaken for a Grineer, not even fit to get turned into nutritive paste and lubricant, and a disgrace to the Corpus", did unnerve me a little. However, unlike you, I am a kind soul, and I will offer you the same options I offer to everyone who neglects the need for security in these troubled times. Run away or die, I care little which you choose. You have, hmm... five minutes to make your choice, starting now. Captain Varalik Vern, Lord of Europa, out.
> 
> The next five minutes were utter chaos. We quickly ran into the Ziniks' house and started planning our defence, while somehow convincing the elder Ziniks to move into a secure bunker. Mr. Zinik has a way with words, I can tell you that. We had about 50 men and Moas with reasonable equipment, and the question of how to distribute them came up. The house was fairly large, but was defensively sound; it was a blocky, two story house made primarily of Alloy-backed concrete, so there were only two entrances to really defend: a highly defendable front entrance with some turret emplacements, and a small door at the back of the house. Selva tried to get us to move there, citing that this Varalik bloke always went for the easier option when it came to his raids. Over the course of a minute, I managed to convince her that he'd probably rather go for the front door, because the back door is not exactly ideally sized for a large army, and he probably wanted to go for the whole egomaniacal route of demonstrating his force after the speech he gave. Therefore, we sent 20 of our people and one of Selva's brothers to the back, and the rest of us found some good cover and prepared to defend the front.
> 
> The conversation that led to this basically consisted of me reiterating the same point over and over again, and I was quite thankful Selva eventually relented. To be honest, now that she's away somewhere in the Relay, and I'm alone in my hab block, I can probably say what was my plan here: I thought the psycho in the ship would attack in the back anyway, and I guessed that he'd try to overwhelm us, so I wanted the men in the back to be the ones to get shot and deal with the worse of it before we heroically ran in to save them and... also get shot. I was never too optimistic about things like this, Maple.
> 
> I honestly didn't expect Varalik's plan of attack in any way, shape or form. He decided to bring his ship into atmosphere, a fairly large transport freighter converted to something that resembled a gunship the same way the regular Cestra resembles a good weapon. It then proceeded to rain down hundreds upon hundreds of Moas of all sorts upon us, most of them indeed being at the front door. As always, life is a bitch for me. My Dera did a lot of work thinning them down, but our forces soon came down under a veritable rain of plasma. Selva elected to use her hoverboots for quick hit and run attacks, dashing from cover to cover and shooting as long as her shields allowed her to, but the rest of us just had to release bursts and hope the plasma didn't hit anything too important while we were exposed. Despite our best efforts, for every Moa we took down, another would just come raining down to replace it. We were already taking losses about two minutes in, and the proxies did not stop coming in spite of the growing pile of wrecks that was forming near the front door. Eventually, they managed to break through.
> 
> For all the mods on my weapon, I did not have the combat scavenging systems the Warframes have, and the few ammo restoration pads we had quickly dried out. Everyone was running out of bullets on their weapons, except for Selva, on account of the stupidly good ammo efficiency the Opticor possesses. For a time, we could hold back the tide of proxies at the door, but as we ran out of manpower and ammo, they were getting into melee range.
> 
> Once again, I was pretty much sure I was about to die. A small part of me actually wanted that due to this depression crap, but I denied it. I needed to survive, and my only hope was to basically turn into a Tenno-like master of melee and destroying every hunk of metal that stood in my way. That wasn't going to happen, of course. But this was not a time to let such unimportant things as basic probability get in my way. They tend to get in the way of me surviving. So it was that I took my Prova and charged the swarm, just like that time I killed a Zephyr. Only that time, I had a Nullifier backpack.
> 
> As it turns out, there's nothing that fights quite like a cornered rat. Selva later told me that I ran around "like an excited Kubrow" and took down forty five of the damned things with only one of their shots going through the shields. It was pretty bad. It's such a nasty itch. I do love the Tech exosuit medical systems. And, for that matter, the augmented legs. Where did you even get the Grineer cybernetics? I had a private chat with the doctor who installed them, and he says it's better than anything anyone he knew saw in their lives. You didn't kill any normal Grineer, that's for sure.
> 
> I'm not sure how long I was at it, but eventually, the Moas just stopped coming. I took a moment to look around myself. On the ground, there were numerous green and orange wrecks which were shooting at me just moments ago. Some of them had massive holes in them, other had large chunks torn off and lying on the other side of the room, and yet other still convulsed with electricity, feebly attempting to get back up and fight. Around me, the Ziniks' bodyguards looked absolutely astonished. Selva probably had some sort of a look on her face, but you couldn't see it behind the Fog helmet. Well, looks like my reputation is taking another undeserved boost; I'd have been dead if the Moas didn't stop coming. Speaking of that, I went outside of the house to look at the reason and quickly saw it: three Tenno dropships attached to the side of Varalik's ship. I really wish I could see his face once he figured out what was in store for him...

* * *

 

>  
>
>> _Deployment proceeding as planned, Captain._
>> 
>> Excellent. With any luck, I'll be able to get back to the process of getting that Catalyst out within minutes. Keep me posted, Bardin.
>> 
>> _Yes, Captain. Your word is law._

* * *

 

> > _Captain, it would seem that there has an unexpected degree of resistance. We have lost two hundred Moas already!_
>> 
>> Calm down, ignorant machine. They will run out of bullets before we run out of proxies.
>> 
>> _I must state that the majority of the resistance seems to be coming from two combatants._
>> 
>> Really now? Run a trauma analysis on the proxies these two took down.
>> 
>> _Processing... trauma patterns match weapon profiles of the Dera assault rifle and Opticor anti-materiel cannon._
>> 
>> A Dera? A Dera?! That waste of material? I understand the Opticor, but the Dera taking down anything produced in the last thirty years? Run the procedure again, you faulty pile of electronics!
>> 
>> _Processing... trauma patterns match weapon profiles of the Dera assault rifle and Opticor anti-materiel cannon._
>> 
>> Bah, useless! Unless... no, he was reliable... any video footage of the man with the Dera?
>> 
>> _Processing... Here you go, Captain._
>> 
>> He just looks like a random Tech-Sergeant with white and purple armour and a silly scarf... why does he seem familiar? Nevermind, can't be just a random Tech... Bardin, remind me to find the man who sold me the proxies so I can feed him his own eyeballs... Bardin?
>> 
>> _Intruders aboard in section 3, Captain. Lost contact with three crewmen... four crewmen... ten crewmen..._
>> 
>> ...Ah. Run a void energy check, Bardin.
>> 
>> _Processing... probability of Tenno raid extremely high. Lost contact with twenty four crewmen, three proxies... twenty five crewmen, five proxies..._
>> 
>> **PREPARE THE ESCAPE SHUTTLE AND START UPLOADING YOURSELF THERE, YOU PATHETIC COLLECTION OF POLYGONS! DID I NOT TELL YOU TO DO THIS IF THE TENNO EVER ATTACKED? USELESS, USELESS, USELESS! OH COME ON, DO IT QUICKER THAN AN INDOCTRINATED IDIOT!**... I had enough of those in the old days.
>> 
>> _Yes, Captain. Your word is law._

* * *

  

> So, there we were, outside of the house, taking in the carnage before us. In the end, we had eight dead, and thirty wounded, one of them being Lei, versus four hundred and six dead Moas. Selva was not pleased by what happened. Within minutes of figuring out about the Tenno, she came to me.
>
>> _Mr. Kahn, I'm going aboard that ship. We can get up there in one minute. Are you with me?_
>> 
>> What, why?
>> 
>> _That delusional criminal hurt my family. He has to play, in Profit or in blood._
>> 
>> But the Tenno are already killing them up there!
>> 
>> _I must see this for myself. Besides, you'll be safe, and it might help you with your depression. I heard, Mr. Kahn. Don't know what to do but this._
>> 
>> I... okay, let's get them, Selva.
> 
> Soon enough, we were aboard, running straight into the Tenno cell. They had an Ember, a Zephyr, and a Nova. They stopped for a second to take a look at us, the Zephyr waving at me for some reason, then proceeded to continue running through the ship, with the two of us desperately trying to keep up with them. What's up with me and Zephyrs, anyway?
> 
> Over the following ten minutes, I rapidly realised that I never saw a truly destructive Tenno raid. Back with the Corpus, the really nasty ones either had no records, or were probably suppressed to control panic. Now that I'm with the Tenno, my team still never gets such footage because there is rarely anything useful to be learned from it. There's overwhelming, and then there's everything hostile around you burning up without any possibility of a reaction. Selva and I didn't, and couldn't, do anything. The cell was like a wave of death and destruction. There is something deeply unsettling about the way those pillars of flame avoid someone marked by the Tenno as a friendly. By the stars, am I glad I'm on your side, Maple.
> 
> Sadly, Captain Vern, who is sadly not the only person I have seen in my life oblivious enough to unironically call themselves something like "Lord of Europa", managed to get away by the ingenious strategy of bolting it for the escape shuttles as soon as he saw his men were getting killed. Truly, a man after my own heart. Selva was still pretty pleased though. The Captain's ship was large, and could more than make up for the damage to the house after cleaning out all the ash and scorch marks. There was only a matter of dealing with the family.
>
>> **Okay, Selva, would you now mind explaining WHY IN THE UNHOLY NAME OF THE CORRUPTING, PROFITLESS, EVERLIVING VOID AND ALL THE NIPPLE-TWISTING INSANITY IT REPRESENTS ARE YOU WORKING WITH THE BETRAYERS? BEING A LITERALLY FILTHY MERC IS ONE THING, BUT THIS?**
>> 
>> _That's how I knew the attacks would happen, father._
>> 
>> **So you would work with the Void Demons themselves for this? HOW DO YOU POSSIBLY BELIEVE THAT CONSORTING WITH THE BETRAYERS IS WORTH THIS?**
> 
> I needed to step in. Don't mistake this for altruism, though. My plan would have me milk the Perrin Sequence for everything they're worth.
>
>> Mr. Zinik, stop for a second, please. The way I see it, you just had your house saved by the Tenno, you have a massive ship floating over your house, and the scorch marks on your property frankly look like you got three Grineer Napalms drunk and let them run wild.
>> 
>> **What are you trying to say, you dumb buckethead?**
>> 
>> What I am trying to say is that, sooner or later, someone up in the Corpus hierarchy will come here and start asking questions, and you know how... zealous they can be about this stuff.
>> 
>> **Point taken, buckethead. I remember old Moin. I told that story to the kids a hundred times. You see, they chopped off his arm and stuffed it down his ass only to...**
>> 
>> _I'm sure Selva's friend does not need to hear that, sweetie. Now, can you tell us what do you propose regarding our situation?_
>> 
>> Well, I have a number of contacts within the Perrin Sequence, a large organisation of misunderstood Corpus, and I'm sure they can help you. They...
> 
> This went on for half an hour. Outside. On Europa. Once again, the Tech exosuit is proving really useful. Or maybe I just didn't notice the cold from all the adrenaline. Eventually, we inevitably reached the subject of Selva and how she fits into all this.
>
>> **Well, your proposal is very appealing, mister... what is your name anyway?**
>> 
>> I suppose you wanted to bring up the subject of your daughter?
> 
> As far as the Corpus at large are concerned, I'm still missing in action, and I'd like to keep it that way as long as I can. After that little change of subject, the discussion continued.
>
>> **I can't call her my daughter. She betrayed the family by what she did! Who does that? Who leaves us in time of our need like that?**
>> 
>> She had a good reason, and I think I should leave you alone so you can discuss it as family. I also believe she will be able to help you negotiate any agreement you may or may not find with the Perrin Sequence to your favour.
>> 
>> **She shouldn't waste her breath.**
>> 
>> _Keln, do you not remember the little girl you spent all that time with? Do you really think she would do something like this to us? We did not raise her to become a mindless Profit chasing idiot like the other families do, and even if we did, do you really see any way she could have benefited from what she did in the long run? Sweetie, please!_
>> 
>> **Okay, Varia. Just for you. Come, Selva. Get your brothers, too.**
> 
> I think they were calm enough for reason at that point. The Ziniks went together into their house while I waited outside. An hour went by. Eventually, Selva came back out.
>
>> _Thank you, boss._
>> 
>> Oh don't thank me, I just want to pull a big favour from the Perrin Sequence when I need one. So, did it all work out?
>> 
>> _Of course not, but they understand me now. But father is still angry. He's always a bit angry, though. I think these things take time. And, for the record, I don't believe that you were being completely selfish._
>> 
>> Believe what you will. So, what now?
>> 
>> _Hmm... you know, I just figured out why I like being this dumb, male muscle character. I suppose it's a way to make myself believe that I'm doing exactly what I should be doing. If someone else sees me on with the combat gear, can you keep saying that I'm a man? Please? I have a reputation to uphold if I need another job._
>> 
>> Let's hope you don't need another job, will we? Really, though, I'm not losing anything by doing that.
>> 
>> _Thank you, but I have another big request for you. Can you just give me some time to be a woman once I get back home? For four years, I haven't stepped out of this stinky suit, and I'd like to try being a girl again._
>> 
>> Why do you even ask me? You can always blackmail me if you say no.
>> 
>> _Because I know you'll say yes without need for that._
>> 
>> ...you are a smart bastard, you know that, Selva?
>> 
>> _We are all smart in our own ways. Now let's get back to Larunda._
> 
> At that point, there were only a few loose ends. One is the reason I am recording this. I took a look at your little thingamajig, Maple. There were a bunch of messages there, and I couldn't really make out much of them. Too many injokes and Tenno terms. But one stuck out to me. Some kind of a private message.
>
>> dissenter: hey you must be kaiathas! maple told us all about you and i read all your logs! maple will really want to hear about whatever happened to you, so please try to do it! oh and i heard you are not feeling well :( maybe there's some way to help you? we went through some interesting stuff recently so maybe theres something to be figured out :D
> 
> Lack of punctuation aside, I just figured that I really want to keep you watching my back, if nothing else, so here I am, dictating all this. I hope you appreciate it. And, for that matter, thank Dissenter for this. Oh, and there was one more thing.
>
>> Hey, Darvo! I know you're a busy man, so I'll keep this quick. There's a family over at Europa that will gladly have you take some slightly damaged Moas off of them! There's about four hundred of them, and they have only minor Opticor damage! Interested?
>> 
>> _Am I interested? Is Baro Ki'Teer an insufferable prick?_
>> 
>> I'll take that as a yes. Wire me your finder's fee, and I'll send you the coordinates, deal?
>> 
>> _How do two free items of your choice from my shop sound? Tenno grade, come with combat insurance, too!_
>> 
>> I can deal with that. Sending the coordinates your way.
> 
> Now, I have to get to work. We have a... Nidus to cut up. Man, I really don't feel like doing anything else right now... wait, that was the completely infested Warframe, wasn't it? I have an idea. Kaiathas, out.
> 
> * * *

Honourable Tenno, today, a very special Warframe rolled into our laboratory. A Tenno operative attempted to launch their Nidus to the surface of the Earth using a Grineer orbital bombardment cannon. The fact that the Warframe is currently where it is speaks of two things: First,that the attempt was not successful, and second, that the operator which will remain anonymous should seriously start thinking about why they thought it would be a good idea to stuff a Warframe into a cannon designed to shoot tungsten shells whose diameters are measured in metres. Nidus himself took surprisingly little damage, although I strongly suspect it's a result of the Warframe's regenerative capabilities. Nonetheless, it arrived to us inoperable, and Cephalon Cordylon has asked me to implore to any Tenno reading that Warframes are not designed to be fired by any cannon, railgun, or Warframe as ammunition.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the Infestation and the various Technocyte strains is very limited. Therefore, I am not able to properly write this report. However, Dr. Rosidea Mur has just recovered from a nasty injury, and is an expert in the relevant fields. For that reason, from this point on, the report is written by Rosidea in a mostly unedited fashion.

* * *

Hello, Tenno! I know I'm not what you're used to, but I'm sure you'll love what I have to say about this frame just as much as I do!

So, Nidus is such an unusually wonderful Warframe! We don't know if it's some normal model who got infested and then reproduced, or if it was purpose built with the infestation in mind. Really, we don't have any documents on him, which is a shame, because he's so neat! All I know is that the blueprints are found in Mycona territory, so I should probably ask them about him. I was born there, after all! So, I don't know what Nidus is, and the boss thinks he's an infested Frost, but I don't really see it, and he doesn't really explain it, so we'll ignore him, okay? It's a mystery to everyone.

There's no way not to recognise Nidus, because you really just need to call him an infested Warframe, and you'll already have the right mental picture. If you're fighting with him, just be sure to check your IFF modules. You really don't want him to think you're a bad guy, because that means you'll probably die painfully with his strain of Infestation rapidly finding its way through your body! At least it's not normal Technocyte, that stuff's even worse.

Speaking of Technocyte, Nidus has a whole strain of his own. It's the main reason the Tenno even use it, really, because otherwise, it would be quite silly to go through a Corpus ship and have the people you killed raise up as runners, wouldn't it? I tested it, and it's most like the Mutalist strain, but far less aggressive, spreading only when imbued with Void energy. Once the juice runs out, it just goes dormant, or even collapses upon itself! Unfortunately, that means Nidus hates Nullifiers, but can't have it all, right? His Technocyte is much better than the normal stuff, at least for us humans. Once, I was cutting up a charger, and one of its arms became alive and tried to rip up my friend's throat! His name it Takil, and fortunately, he's still with us, only he can't talk much because of that problem.

Nidus barely has anything normal for Warframes on him. His shield systems have mutated into a regenerative core, which passively produces and maintains fast-replicating tissue, which can go to wherever it's needed and start doing its healing magic. It was a bit of a problem, too, because it made it really hard to get any cuts done, because the flesh would just grow back! We had to rip that bit out, so we could actually get some work done. Other than that, the only really intact pieces are armour plates, the mod systems, the locomotion systems, and the Void energy batteries. Everything else was either turned into Infested flesh, or mutated into an Infested version of itself. Honestly, I'm not even sure how Transference even works on this thing!

So, systems! First off, there is this thing that's apparently based on some Nekros systems that takes chunks out of stuff that gets hit by Nidus' infestation strain, and feeds in back to the Warframe, so it can use it to make even more Infestation! You see, you can't really make Infestation out of thin air, at least not easily, so it's way easier to start with some basic material and have it multiply, or, in this case, convert material from the unwilling! That has to be painful. Nidus also becomes scarier the more spare flesh he has, and if he has enough, he can even spend it to avoid getting killed! I think the scariness is somehow related to having to put all the flesh somewhere, but I'm not sure, I can't just turn him on and have him eat people! That would be unethical. Anyway, the Tenno databases apparently call the extra mass Mutation, so let's go with that!

So, how does he get that mass he needs? He has a chunk of flesh inside of him that he can make go out and back in using Void energy! It spreads out like a carpet of tentacly grass, takes what it can, and even uses some Mutation to make it hurt more! Then, it just teleports back to Nidus! Plus, it has some intact systems that can convert excess flesh into Void energy, so you can get some of your energy back if you use this ability! You Tenno call this ability Virulence for some reason, and it gets used a lot, so the name's pretty important.

This one is the best one, if you ask me. Nidus can throw a little energy-imbued larva. Once it hits something, it sees if it can take a bit out of something, and if it can, grows into tentacles which eat bad guys all around it! I like it because it's really a clever piece of biology: it starts out small and uses any unfortunate thing in its range to grow the rest of the way! Sadly, it doesn't last long, but you Tenno usually kill anything the tentacles pick up in time, so that's no biggie.

Now we get into the two abilities which use the Mutation flesh! This one throws a chunk of it to something. If it's friendly, it boosts their power systems by working with the Technocyte strain in normal Warframes, basically extending the inner layer and making stuff work better, but if it's an enemy, it completely gums them up and makes them unable to do much of anything. Plus, the Mutation makes a link back to Nidus, so, if the target is friendly, Nidus also has bit of Mutation work with him just like it does with his buddy, and if it's not, Nidus can get some trauma he takes transferred over the link, so bullets don't hurt as much. Well, don't hurt HIM as much. I saw some Crewmen get caught by that thing in combat footage. I'd say they don't deserve it, but then I remember they probably do, considering the Lotus sent a Nidus after them. The Mutation chunk can also work like Virulence, so, once Nidus uses that ability, another carpet of Infestation comes out from the link buddy, using just a small bit of their exoskeleton. It grows back, don't worry, Tenno! Or, if they're your enemies, it doesn't.

The second of the two uses three Mutation chunks to make a miniature Infested biome, complete with grass, but it's way better than the nasty stuff the normal hive mind uses! For one, it heals all Warframes standing on it due to a small, but beneficial mutation which lets the strain quickly convert into medical gel, which is actually based on Nano Spores if you didn't know that, so it makes a lot of sense. Plus, it makes little maggots, mostly like the ones Brood Mothers make, but with a small mutation that lets them explode once you hit them with Virulence, letting it take even more flesh for Mutation!

So, there's Nidus. It's Infestation, but without having to worry about a fate worse than death, so that's awesome! Now, boss puts some sort of a smart message here, but I'm not good with words, so I'll just say happy hunting, Tenno!

 ** _Dr. Rosidea Mur_** , Infestation specialist and coroner

* * *

> **_Several days earlier, somewhere in the Void_ **
> 
> Focus...focus...GAH!
> 
> Okay, the human brain was NOT meant for doing this sort of thing. I can get that much from the splitting headache. Heh, splitting. But I have to keep trying! Must push the limits!
> 
> But not now. I'll just tell the guys I got tired of farming Infested. They'll trust me. And I won't exactly be lying.
> 
> Rains in the Derelicts my ass.


	16. Trinity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/5soi3m/research_report_nidus/

 

 

> _Should I knock? Probably. Being shot hurts._
> 
> ...
> 
> _Huh. He usually responds to people knocking within a couple of minutes. What's holding him up?_
> 
>  
>
>> Who is it? Is it you, Rose? Another emergency repair? Had to be this early, did... Maple?
>> 
>> _Hello, Kaiathas. Did I interrupt something?_
>> 
>> Maple, I don't know when you Tenno sleep, but the Relay time right now is 4AM. That means most people are asleep right now, or, in my case, want to be asleep.
>> 
>> _Oh. Sorry. I will be off for a while, too, and get back to you later._
>> 
>> Wa... where did you go?

* * *

 

> _Take two. This time, with apologies. And more polite. I think. I don't talk much._
> 
>  
>
>> Oh, hey, Selva, you're really quick this morning, aren't you. Wait, Selva wouldn't knock. Maple? That wasn't a dream? Damn, had my hopes up.
>> 
>> _Good morning, Kaiathas. Sorry I woke you up that early. Can I come in? Heard you could use some help._
>> 
>> Well...uhh...okay. Come. But I have a whole bunch of questions, okay?
>> 
>> _I have time. And I have an apology._
> 
> _Focus. Shift. There. All those Kuva runs paying off big time here._
> 
>  
>
>> Well. Questions: why is there suddenly a white Rhino in my hab block, where in the Void did you go, and why is it carrying a big brown bag?
> 
> _Oh. Right. That might be a bit confusing. Let's pop back out._
> 
>  
>
>> _Cashed in some favours with New Loka. Confused them, but didn't complain. Well, turns out I can't carry 60 kilograms of roasted coffee beans. He can, though. The bag's yours. My way of apologising._
>> 
>> ...thanks? But that still leaves the other question unanswered. How can you even do all this?
>> 
>> _What do you know about what happened to the Grineer queens?_
>> 
>> Only that you took down one of them.
>> 
>> _Well, don't think I can tell everything, then, the Lotus is not too keen on my actions anyway. In short, the Tenno got much stronger. We can zip around, go invisible, and jump in and out of the frames. Neat stuff. Also means I don't need Ivara for this anymore. I get gray clothes, nobody thinks twice._
> 
> _Should I have told him this? It's probably ok. Well, I'll know back on the ship. With any luck, the only mail I'll have will be from The Stalker. He never gives up. I never get Hate from him. Such is life. Seriously, had to pay Darvo. Bloody ripoff._
> 
>  
>
>> So, take a seat. Do you even need to sit?
>> 
>> _Yup._
> 
> _I take a quick look around. Two rooms in the hab block, but it has a lot of space. In one corner, a large computer, with haphazard cabling all around it, with no clear power socket in sight. Good thing the Warframe interface just ignores all of that complexity. One cipher, done. In another, many pots and some appliances. For the preparation of food, right? Never thought too much about it, for all the times I've been in here. When did I last eat? Did I ever eat? I can't remember, but surely... probably some Void energy magic keeping me alive._
> 
> _In yet another corner is the door which I came through, and directly opposite of it is the second room. Bathroom, if I remember correctly. Only thing I'm sure about them is that it's not nice to follow people inside. The girl I did that to probably deserved it, though. Her pants were great for my incognito suit._
> 
> _In the center of the room is a small grey table, with four chairs of the same colour surrounding it. For that matter, almost everything in the room is in shades of gray. Typical Tenno style. I'm fairly sure we paint everything gray just so we make people put some proper colour on it. I take seat at the table. Kaiathas joins me._
> 
> _He folds himself, so to speak. These chairs were not made for someone tall._ **_That_** _tall. It comes to me that over all of the voice logs Kaiathas made, he never described himself. Huh. He's easily two meters tall. Maybe more. Taller than some of the Warframes, definitely. Yet, thin, but not weak. Muscle is there, but...wiry? That's the word. Reminds me of Limbo. Black, short hair, with numerous white strands. Blue eyes, no beard, no signs of age. Always in at least one part of his exosuit. Even sleeps with it sometimes. Dera never further than three seconds from him, currently mounted above his bed. Prova's under his pillow. Checked once, before. Got zapped for my trouble. Almost had to pop a revive. That would have been embarrassing. And loud._
> 
>  
>
>> Okay, Maple. You told me why you are helping me out this much. But how do you even find the time? I thought the Tenno almost always have something better to do. I mean, you waited four hours for me to wake up. You did all that stalking back when I was with the Corpus. I can't believe you only do this when you don't have any other engagements.
>> 
>> _I have time. And I have other Tenno. The Zariman was not a small ship, Kaiathas. We also need a lot of sleep. I can do stuff longer than others. I do the important stuff, and then my projects and interests. Helps that I don't have much important stuff to do. I already have everything I'd want. Besides, I didn't wait for you. I slept. There was a nice corner near your hab block._
>> 
>> Hold on. You slept here? Outside?
>> 
>> _Yes. It was a nice change. Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?_
>> 
>> What you just said does not strike you as odd in the slightest?
>> 
>> _It should?_
>> 
>> Well... yes, but I don't think I can explain this simply. So, wait, what does the Lotus want you to do any day, anyway? What is your job?
>> 
>> _She puts up missions. She puts up rewards. We choose the ones with the best rewards. Or the most fun ones._
>> 
>> Killing people is fun to you?!
>> 
>> _Not me. Was, once. But others still find it fun. Don't worry. We don't kill the innocent. Nothing to be scared of. Think! If I wanted to make you suffer, I would already do that._
> 
> _Kaiathas looks terrified. I never saw him genuinely terrified. Even when I captured him. He hides it well. Or thinks he needs to hide it. This depression is getting to him, and I need better words. What do I do?_
> 
>  
>
>> _Calm. Calm... You are on our side! If we could, we wouldn't kill anyone. We'd negotiate. We'd cure the infested! But ...we can't. So we are needed to do this._
> 
> _I believe that. So many other Tenno don't. But he doesn't need to know that. He's smart enough to understand that. But he doesn't have to now. Hope this is the right call. Can't read his mind._
> 
>  
>
>> ...don't know what came over me. Sorry. I'm not worth this. You are spending all this effort on nothing.
> 
> _I don't talk a lot. With normal people. But I talk to a lot of Tenno. We have forgotten so much, and now, we are slowly remembering. Some of those things ought to stay forgotten. Some of us break over them. Some of them, I fix. This is the one social skill I can say I'm good at. Probably because I had to fix myself first._
> 
> _Doesn't change the fact that I was terrified out of my mind for him. Not going to fall because of me. He saw the fear. I think it helped._
> 
>  
>
>> _Kaiathas, I once spent a month killing Sentients over and over again just to get a intact module that some of them were using. Somehow. Not too sure how that works. I still haven't used that thing on anything. I have done dumb things with my time. A human being is not one of them. Now, please, tell me, what happened just then?_
>> 
>> It's not you, or the Tenno. I just felt worthless all of a sudden, like I didn't deserve to have so many people save my skin... it has been like this for the last month. Every time, I try to sleep, I get nightmares, but I never remember what is in them. All I know is that I wake up and feel the whole weight of the world bearing down on me. And sometimes, everything is fine, then, suddenly, guilt. At least Selva is talkative nowadays, so it's not as bad as it used to be.
> 
> _Right call for the wrong reasons. I will take it. But sleepless nights? Guilt over nothing? Sudden moments of sadness? I have seen this happen far too many times. I suspected it, but this confirms it. At least it's easily explainable. Too often, it isn't._
> 
>  
>
>> _I have a plan. First, we need to use the big brown bag. Trust me. I know._
> 
> _I don't._
> 
> _Maybe that's stupid. But stupidity never stopped Simulor spammers. Can't say they aren't effective._
> 
> _Time passes. Kaiathas grinds the beans and puts the powder into boiling water. Soon enough, the coffee is ready. He pours some for me. I asked for it. I think he needs a reminder that I am human. So do I. I take a sip._
> 
> _Memories come rushing through. A nondescript slurry, unappealing, but delicious. Some sort of a dead animal, roasted for a long forgotten feast day. Something brown and lumpy, a... potato? Yes. That explains a lot. Vegetables, smuggled by father, just before we got on the Zariman. A small, lovely ball..._
> 
> _It was a different time. Long inactive parts of my brain awaken. Within them, I search for words. I feel something in my mouth, and I need to describe it properly. The words are..._
> 
>  
>
>> _Too bitter. But thank you, Kaiathas. I haven't tasted anything for far too long. Not that I remember._
>> 
>> Oh thank the stars, you're okay. You just sat there silent for about two minutes. I didn't know what to do! Shame about your opinion, though. So, we got some coffee. What did you have in mind?
>> 
>> _To relax you, and to explain. Many of my friends have had the same problem you do now. There is something within your mind that is somehow suppressed, but is... trying to resurface? Thoughts aren't alive. But they feel that way. I know. Now, I will need you to think back to Neptune. I am so sorry._
>> 
>> Are you sure about this? What do I even need to think about?
>> 
>> _Yes. I need you to try and think if you have any holes in your memory. Is there anything you feel you should remember? If it gets hard, stop. I have time._
>> 
>> Maple, it was so long ago, I'm bound to have forgotten a lot!
>> 
>> _Of course. Focus on the unusual._
>> 
>> ...
>> 
>> ...
>> 
>> ...I got nothing, and I can't go further. So many beatings, screams, I...
> 
> _Should not have done this. Should not have done this! Need to fix. What to do? What to say?_
> 
>  
>
>> _Just stop now. Get some coffee. They can't do anything to you. Nothing can get past a Tenno, trust me._
> 
> _Except Bombard rockets. Tiny, unhittable pieces of crap. Again, he doesn't need to know that._
> 
> _We take a few minutes to stare at each other in silence. In my experience, it often helps. The silence is broken by the hum of hoverboots and the slight creak of the hab block's door. Selva has arrived._
> 
> _She seems more relaxed than the last time I saw her, somehow. Something about the stance. In addition, the fabled stench of the suit is gone. It is replaced by a faint smell of... moonlight jadeleaf, I think. Certainly an improvement. She carries two cups of coffee with her, and a Detron on her side. She closes the door, puts one of the cups in one of her innumerable pouches, and takes off the Fog helmet. A look of surprise is apparent on her face._
> 
>  
>
>> **Well, guess you won't be needing that, boss, but that's not important, what's important is that there an active Prime Warframe here I can take a close look at! Can I poke him around a bit, Maple, please, I always wanted to do this! Look at him, he's breathing!**
>> 
>> _Sure, just don't stab him in the chest, and you should be fine._
>> 
>> **What are you doing here anyway? Some important Tenno business?**
>> 
>> _Well, I was about to tell Kaiathas about a place that has been quite important to the Tenno recently, and I think a trip there could help him. He'd take you there with him anyway. Might want to get some warmer padding._
>> 
>> What is this place, Maple, and how can it help?
>> 
>> _I will tell you later. Now, we just talk._
> 
> _It was quite pleasant. And enlightening. Selva was mostly preoccupied looking at the many nooks and crannies of my Rhino. She'd still occasionally join the conversation. I talked about my missions. He talked about his time on Viver. Anyway, I took the problems off of Kaiathas's mind. As I intended. Soon enough, he had to leave. They apparently had some routine repairs and a Trinity. Interesting. By this point, Selva satisfied her curiosity, leaving for her own block._
> 
>  
>
>> One last question, Maple. A dumb question. Are you male or female?
> 
> _I begin to respond, but I realise I forgot something. Something probably quite important._
> 
>  
>
>> _Uhh... Guys are the ones with the dangly bits down there, right?_
> 
> _The response was quite inevitable. I haven't even seen someone laugh that hard. Vay Hek doesn't count. One quick explanation of human anatomy later, I had my answer, and he had his. I am, indeed, female. Even if I don't have the bumps on the chest. Only the matter of the trip remained._
> 
>  
>
>> _You still have that old communicator I left you, right?_
>> 
>> Yes, I do.
>> 
>> _Keep it on over the next few days. I will have archon send you the coordinates. Use the rescue mission button when you get going, please. It will be worth it._
>> 
>> What is this place, anyway? How likely is it to get me killed?
>> 
>> _It's something special. You won't get attacked. Probably. Likely. Unless... no. Bring warm clothes, though. Oh, something else, too. Do the words "Dera Satiata" mean anything to you?_
>> 
>> One of them is my gun, and the other sounds like Orokin gibberish. Why do you ask?
>> 
>> _Perfect. I need your gun. Only for a short time. Giving it back when we get there._
>> 
>> So, you want me to go to some sort of a frozen wasteland, **and** take my gun away for some inexplicable reason?
>> 
>> _Yup._
>> 
>> Can I do anything to stop you?
>> 
>> _You won't._
>> 
>> Do you really have to do this? Really? Far too many things in this universe randomly pop up to try and kill me!
>> 
>> _Trust me. You trusted me so far. Once I am done, you will feel a lot safer._
>> 
>> Okay, fine, have it. If someone tries to kill me, though, I swear I will punch you in the face and probably get killed by some sort of bullshit Transference backlash.
>> 
>> _Thank you! See you soon!_

* * *

 

>  
>
>> At least she didn't turn invisible this time. Man, the Tenno are freaking weird. What's her plan anyway?
>> 
>> **NO IDEA, BOSS!**
>> 
>> Great, she's listening, too. Really need to get some foam on these walls... Wonder when that Rhino is going away.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, Trinity is, as I have come to understand, a very familiar Warframe to you. Thanks to her healing powers, she is also quite durable, and the Prime model lying before us is the first of her kind to come to our lab, even for minor maintenance. According to the data we were given, it was heavily damaged as a result of friendly fire; a Tenno piloting a Mirage Warframe unwittingly walked through a radiation cloud and shot their Synoid Simulor at the Trinity in question, which was followed by a stray Tonkor grenade taking down the weakened Warframe's revival systems instantly. We have been asked to remind any Tenno on missions in radioactive zones that explosive weapons can be more dangerous to the cell than to the enemy in such situations.

As one of the older known Warframe models, we possess a respectable amount of relevant contemporary documentation, most of it recovered by operatives on Lua, and they shine a light upon Trinity's creation. The initial Warframe combat trials showed great promise, but with lots of room for improvement. Attritional damage in prolonged operations proved quite problematic, and the scavenger systems used by the Warframes could not recover nearly enough Void energy for optimal efficiency. Therefore, a number of high-ranking Archimedians were commissioned to design a solution to those problems. Trinity was the idea that was ultimately implemented.

The main concerns at the time were related to the Warframe's relative frailty, with only significant armour plating on the Warframe being found in her unique, three-parted skirt, a type of spaced armour which protects her more fragile systems. Testing showed that this was more than enough, however, as Trinity's abilities are quite capable of picking up the slack. This design was necessitated by the complexity of the Blessing ability, and we are sure most Tenno would agree that it was a concession well made.

If you are one of our (more) mortal allies, identify Trinity by the skirt. Numerous alternate configurations of the Warframe exist, and the unique skirt design is the one similarity they all possess. Beyond that, a mission with Trinity is probably an occasion to slightly relax; if you see her, there is a good chance she is accompanied by a squad of veteran Tenno, so you will just need to keep your head down and watch the fireworks such cells tend to cause.

  * Trinity is interesting from a Warframe design standpoint for two reasons. First, her abilities seem to form the base upon which numerous others were designed. Second, Trinity has been the subject of numerous modifications in recent years. A prime example of the former is her Well of Life, which creates medical nanobots from anyone unfortunate to be affected by the ability. A miniature foundry is used to create a starter culture of nanobots within the Warframe, which are infused with energy when needed and launched at a targeted enemy. The victim is then immobilized and levitated with any excess Void energy. This allows the nanobots to easily spread over the affected's surface. From that point on, a significant part of any damage headed for the target is used to create even more nanobots, which are then launched from the victim towards the attacker. A clever and simple principle, and the microscopic machines in question form the backbone of Tenno medical technology. However, mission reports show that Well of Life is seldom used, as Blessing largely supplants its role.

  * Usually, we list analyses of a Warframe's abilities in general order of energy usage and complexity. This is not a viable option for Trinity, as Blessing influences her other two abilities in a fairly significant manner. So, what's the big deal with Blessing? Its system is an intricate web spanning almost the entirety of Trinity, with numerous arcane subsystems, some of which may or may not be vestigial. The ability is incredibly complex, even by the standards of later, horribly over engineered Warframe models. Frankly, we don't have a full understanding of how it works. It likely took **several** Series 2 Cephalons to completely design it. The effects on a large scale are simple enough: restoration of shields, repairs, healing, and a high resistance to any future damage for a period of time, all applied to any Warframes in a long range. And yet, my team has only understood a scant few mechanisms responsible for achieving this effect.

  * The shield restore is, thankfully, easily understood. It is essentially an upscaled version of shield restoring pads used by numerous Tenno cells; a Void energy surge, released in such a way that it is readily converted into shield power. The same cannot be said for the health-restoring component of the ability. Our initial guess was that the nanobots used for Well of Life are somehow reused, but several quick tests put that theory to rest. We still haven't found an understanding of what allows such instantaneous and long-ranged healing, but the most likely option seems to be an upscaled version of health restoration pad technology, analogous to the previous component. However, we didn't find any means of easily manufacturing the necessary compounds within Trinity, so this cannot be takes as fact. Still, this is better than our understanding of the damage resistance component. Trinity seems to share some subsystems with Valkyr, and that's basically the only thing we have to base any conclusions on. Even then, the systems in question are poorly understood, and do not offer much insight. A look at recent reconfigurations of Trinity and the associated change logs suggests that the ability can be very strenuous, and even dangerous, on the Tenno using the Warframe. Several years ago, the damage resistance provided complete immunity to physical trauma for its duration, but concerns over possible long-term nerve damage forced the Lotus to significantly lower its power. Some of the systems previously used for Blessing were redirected towards Energy Vampire, and others assist in the operations of Link. In short, this ability is a fresh reminder that we are still far from the advancements of the golden era Orokin Empire.

  * Energy Vampire used to be a slight modification of Well of Life. The main difference was that the initial nanobot colony wouldn't strive to further replicate itself, but to convert damage to Void Energy. With the downgrade of Blessing, Energy Vampire started using a significantly different type of nanobot, one that functions more like a gray goo, without need for any outside energy. The new type replicates itself by consuming useful matter on the victim, and releases excess energy from the replication to any nearby Warframes. The process is significantly speeded up by the death of the unwitting host, allowing the nanobots to go through their full lifespan in a manner of milliseconds. Of note is the odd interaction between power duration modules and this ability, as well as Well of Souls. Lower power duration makes the miniature foundries used for the initial cultures create far shorter lived nanobots far more quickly, but, as an unintended side effect, Energy Vampire becomes a far more aggressive and effective ability, releasing immense amounts of energy in a very short time. This interaction gives practically limitless Void energy to any Tenno in a Trinity's cell. I have been told that this is the main reason for the Warframe's popularity. Energy Vampire actually possesses two augmentation modules, in a manner of speaking. One primarily works with Well of Life, using the part of Energy Vampire's systems that allows it to exploit the death of the victim, albeit in a different fashion. The other slightly modifies the nanobot replication systems in such a way that allows energy from the ability to be used for shielding. Once again, the principles of a shield restoration pad are used.

  * Finally, Link allows Trinity to redirect a part of any trauma she suffers towards nearby enemies linked with a Void energy stream, and, with an augmentation module, even weaken their armour by a more precise application of the link. The damage mitigation uses a small part of Blessing systems, and is actually easily understandable: a thin layer of energy surrounds the Warframe, and any damage it travels along the link, dissipating throughout the connection like a wave spreading through water. It requires a fair amount of power to use, but it's an ingenious method, later reused for pretty much all link-based Warframe abilities (i.e. Nidus's Parasitic Link.) It is possible Blessing uses some sort of an invisible link to achieve this effect, but, if that is the case, we certainly haven't found the subsystems that would accomplish that.




Apologies for the unusually long writeup. I understand most of you desire simple explanations, but Trinity's usefulness came at the price of complexity. And yet, for all of it, this Warframe is not over engineered. It does what it has to, and it does it well, and although the effects might look boring, the principles behind them are nothing short of enthralling to a person in the right mindset (that is, the mindset of a sapient collection of polygons). Find the greatest Profit with the smallest effort,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer


	17. Frost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/5y3aac/research_report_frost/
> 
> Strawpoll for the Warframe featured in the next chapter: http://www.strawpoll.me/12483773
> 
> AOOO doesn't like some of the formatting I used for some reason, so I changed it.

> Today was quite a day. It started off innocently enough, as far as that can be said for a man in my position. I finally got the coordinates Maple was talking about this morning, and I set off to get to them as soon as I could. My situation was not getting worse, but it was certainly not improving, and I was afraid I was just going to snap one day, invalidating all the luck and hard work that got to this point. Taking the least risky option got me this far, and an uninhabited mountain range on Earth seemed harmless enough. Unfortunately, I was to do it alone, as Selva had to take a trip to Europa to sort some things out regarding her family. Still, I reasoned that I would not need a bodyguard with a Tenno at my side.
> 
> That was the rational part of my brain speaking. The deeply instinctual, paranoid part of it, well honed by all the bullets I avoided in my lifetime was singing a different tune, which sounded like a Tenno "playing" a piano with a Simulor while having a coughing fit. I wasn't just scared. I was feeling everything from existential dread through intense paranoia all the way to a desperate urge to relieve myself. I was about to go to a frozen hellhole, probably full of Orokin deathtraps or Grineer unintentional deathtraps, with nothing to defend myself with but a glorified stick and a superpowered child soldier with barely controlled narcolepsy, all in the name of only possibly solving a problem I can't even properly explain to people. This was not helped by the shuttle I took to the coordinates asking me every ten minutes if I _really_ wanted to land into such uncharted territory. Smartass. Even though it doesn't have an ass.
> 
> Eventually, I arrived at the coordinates, disembarking with all the elegance expected from the sheer amount of credits I rented the shuttle for. After checking if all my bones were still in one piece, it was a question of finding a good place to wait for Maple so she can go through with her plan. The wait wasn't long, but I took in my surroundings during that time. Earth is overgrown with green, aggressive plants. Everyone knows that. And yet, this place was white and barren as far as the eye could see, with only a scant few bleached flags to indicate any humans ever went here, proving once and for all that plants are smarter than us. Seriously, why would anyone do _anything_ up there? The wind could only be described by words exclusively used by depressed poets, and I shivered, even underneath my sealed exosuit.
> 
> Maple arrived with her Ivara, the Warframe gracefully dropping onto the snow from her Liset, which quickly ascended into orbit. I can only presume the ship's Cephalon wanted to pass the time, and smugly snickering at my shuttle made for a good way to do it. I noticed my Dera Vandal in Ivara's hands, seemingly no worse for wear, and Maple stepped out of her to take the gun and hand it over to me. She said hello, then started rambling on about Riven something, pacifistic Grineer, and flamethrowers. I didn't catch a lot of that, and I'm too lazy to find the exact spot on the helmet recording. I was too busy staring at her. She was only wearing one of those fancy Orokin-style jumpsuits and her body was involuntarily shaking from the cold, but it didn't seem to affect her at all! I suppose that must be a side effect of the Tenno condition. The only other explanation I have is sheer, stupid willpower, but... I don't know, just doesn't make sense. If that's the case, maybe she wanted to make a point. Actually, no. From what I've seen so far, it's more likely that she didn't have warm clothes. Tenno are weird.
> 
> Soon enough, the topic of what in the name of the stars and the Sun was I doing on top of a forsaken pile of rocks came up. Now, what's the timestamp for this one... ah.
>
>> - _There are some Orokin ruins up ahead. The gilded idiots did some horrible things there. However, it makes us remember. I don't know why. Many of us came here, and came out stronger. Plus, there's a great view on the other side. I hope it works for you._
>> 
>> -How likely am I to get killed here?
>> 
>> - _Not very. Well, unless the wind blows you off. Or you fall into the pit like I did. Hope those things can't crawl up walls._
>> 
>> -Maple, what things? You never mentioned "things", and the way you say that word sounds horrible. It's like the way people talked about Alad V and his Zanukas before he went completely mental. You know, an "eccentric" bajillionaire's pet project, that sort of "thing"?
>> 
>> - _Oh, they're nothing. I can deal with them._
>> 
>> -...
>> 
>> - _Trust me, Kai. Can I call you Kai?_
> 
> Kai. Now, that. That's something I haven't been called in a long time. Something clicked inside of my head. I remembered things. Actually, come to think of it, it isn't really remembering. It's more like something that I didn't think about for a long time. Didn't _want_ to think about.
> 
> There was a long, wide hallway, slate grey, with words on its wall that I could not read. It wasn't as cold as the mountain, but it felt like it. I was scared, and so were the others, and _they_ wanted it so.
> 
> Countless young children were walking forward, unsure of what waits ahead. I was, of course, one of them. Some were bred for this, some were stolen for this, some were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but _they_ didn't care about any of this. _They_ wanted one thing out of us, and it would take work.
> 
> For all the children surrounding me, I was alone. That is, until I saw a small, red-headed boy, about my height. Something felt right about him, so I tried to talk with him. He responded, and just like that, the fear was gone. His name was Viridin, and he asked me if he could call me Kai, because Kaiathas is not a word easily pronounced at that age.
> 
> We didn't walk forever. An indoctrination temple of Neptune awaited us all.
> 
> All this came back in a flash, because it was all there to begin with. Why, then, was that the only thing I could recall about Viridin after so many years? Well, I had a Dera, a Prova, and a Maple. This place might have just made people remember. It might have not, but I was willing to take that risk, so I relayed all this to Maple, and we pressed on. Any trace of fear I had was gone. Well, most of it, a bit of fear helps with long-term survival, I find.
> 
> While I was more content to take my time on top of a snowy, mountainous road, she exhibited the typical Tenno acrobatics even outside of her Warframe, albeit with a slight loss of speed. Maple sprinted, jumped, and dashed through the Void along the path, all with an apparent disregard for her life. I was thinking of telling her to slow down, but then it hit me that she probably knew what she was doing. The Tenno, from my sample size of one, are not so much dumb as simply under informed, and this particular Tenno's movement was probably a result of a number of painful failures refined into a mesmerising dance of the Void; you can't shake the feeling that she will crash and turn into a broken heap of flesh and bones, and yet, her every motion suggests that it's _you_ that has this "locomotion" thing all wrong.
> 
> It did not take us long to get to a cave. The temperature there was much more pleasant than on the outside, and I had my helmet fold itself down. I quickly undid that mistake; yes, the temperature was more pleasant, but so is a freezer compared to a cryonic facility. In other words, still bloody cold.
> 
> Maple stopped in front of an Orokin door. Next to it was a corpse, preserved by the elements.
>
>> - _He says that this one gave up._
>> 
>> -Who said that? And why is that important? Looks like just another corpse to me, Maple.
>> 
>> - _Oh, just a friend, but... wait, you don't remember anything? Nothing from the past jumping at you? No cryptic thoughts? Horrible secrets?_
>> 
>> -Nope, sorry. Doesn't look like anything to me.
>> 
>> - _Ehh, worth a try. Let's keep moving._
> 
> With those words, she turned to the door, and shot out an energy beam at a device next to it. This opened the door, and we moved forward. For how relaxed Maple can be about things, it can be easy to forget that she is a living battery of Void energy, and that she could kill me with her bare hands without too much trouble. Another door blocked our path, and a repeat of the procedure opened it.
> 
> Beyond it was a large cavern, dominated by a massive Ayatan sculpture which loomed from the ceiling over an ever more massive pit. The corpse may not have made me remember, but the Ayatan had.
> 
> Viridin was not the only friend I made on Neptune, but he was the most important one. I met others, true, but they all broke, sooner or later.
> 
> Over countless years, the Corpus have refined the technique of turning toddlers into completely obedient soldiers. Some might find it fascinating. I might find it amusing to hit such people in the face. There is nothing "fascinating" in that torture! _They_ hurt you, _they_ take away everything that makes you human, _they_ brainwash you with propaganda every waking moment. All that, so that the highest bidder can have little puppet soldiers that were once children with potential, dancing on their strings. The saddest part is that I can think of so many better ways to accomplish the same thing, but no. Sadists. Absolutely disgusting.
> 
> It takes a special kind of mind to make it through that intact. One needs to understand how wrong all this is even at a young age, one must be smart enough to give _them_ everything they want to see and hear, and one must be able to find ways to hold on to their humanity. As far as I knew, only me and Viridin could do that, and we supported each other.
> 
> There was a small Ayatan sculpture in our temple. Near iit was a blind spot in the omnipresent surveillance network of the temple. It was a proper blind spot, not one of those false rumours _they_ spread to break and punish us. I later found out that it was a result of the contractor in charge of that abomination of a building skimping on the wiring. How delightfully ironic, that a temple to Profit is undone by Profit. A message that the Board of Directors is too stubborn to take into notice.
> 
> In that place, we talked, as free of the overseers as we could ever be. We read contraband material, one paragraph at a time, because that's the only way we could do it. We told stories to each other, trying to let imagination take us away from the temples. We invented games, so that we could pass the time.
> 
> We were children, in short. A luxury that should not have been a bloody luxury. Now, back to the cavern.
>
>> -I remember that Viridin kept me sane on Neptune, Maple. Without him, I'd be one of those crewmen you kill on a regular basis.
>> 
>> - _What happened to him? Do you remember?_
>> 
>> -No, and that scares me.
>> 
>> - _Then let's keep moving. It's great out th..._
> 
> Maple was interrupted by a loud, rumbling noise. Within seconds, its source appeared: a massive, mechanical, golden worm crawling up from the pit, with the unmistakable appearance of something that is very keen on trying to eat you without considering if it can digest you later on. Guess this was one of the things she was talking about earlier on. I turned to get some distance from it, but she was ahead of me. She did something with her powers, and the monster suddenly stopped, only to fall back into the pit with a considerable amount of noise.
>
>> - _Guess they_ **_can_** _climb up walls. Huh. Well, any memories?_
> 
> The worm did nothing for me. Well, except scaring the crap out of me. However, as I peered over the edge of the pit to make sure the bloody thing wasn't coming back, I saw the the pit's floor was lined with countless skeletons, presumably the monster's victims. And then, it hit me. It hit me harder than any bullet or sword ever could. I remembered what happened to Viridin.
> 
> ...damn it, it's still hard to think about. Deep breaths. This is behind you, Kaiathas.
> 
> Years went by. I said what _they_ wanted me to say, but thought what I should have thought. _They_ couldn't read minds. Viridin did the same as me. But years are a lot of time, and _they_ were smart. It takes a certain form of abominable ingenuity to devise the myriad of methods to break a human being, and we were just children. One day, we slipped up.
> 
> I do not recall what was it that we did, but we made the overseers suspicious. One of us had to be guilty, they reasoned. So they made a simple test of loyalty.
>
>> - _They_ gave me a Braton, and _they_ had me execute the traitor to Profit. I did it. I killed him! I shot him, right in the head, and I... he looked betrayed! He begged me not to do it! But I had to survive! But... not worth it. It should not have been him. I am not worthy...
>> 
>> - _Kaiathas?... Kaiathas? Kai, NO! I went through this. You_ **_WILL_** , _too!_ **_I WENT THROUGH THIS. YOU WILL, TOO!_**
> 
> This was a cauterization of sorts. A lot of pain was necessary so that I may come out stronger, and survive.
> 
> That was the rational part of my brain speaking. There was no use. I was utterly broken. I was broken back then, too, but in a different way. I saw it this way: I will work for _them_ for the rest of my life, whether I like it or not, and I needed to stay sane. There was only one way to do it. I suppressed the memories of my time with Viridin, so that I may survive. And now, the floodgates were open.
> 
> I curled up in a ball near the edge of the pit, crying. The last time I cried, one of the overseers beat me to within an inch of my life. This time, there was no overseer, but there was Maple. Her concern morphed into rage. Not at me, but at the world in general. She took my hand, and started dragging me out of the cavern and further onward, towards the mountain peak, constantly speaking those last two sentences over and over again. I don't know what her plan was. I don't know if she even had one, but she was not going to let my spirit break, no matter what.
> 
> Maple is not too strong physically, so progress was slow. I didn't want to go anywhere. Except... over the ledge. The prospect of a quick, relatively painless fall off of the mountain seemed appealing at the time. But she wouldn't let go.
> 
> And then, there it was, the peak. On the top of it was someone else, kneeling before the magnificent view the peak provided. I saw that man on the relay, occasionally. Hard to miss a massive, cone-shaped hat that covers the eyes, and a pair of colourful sword scabbards. I only ever understood that he organises some Tenno contests or something. And I think he might have just saved my life. I'll let the recording take over here.
>
>> - _Teshin? What are you doing here?_
>> 
>> - **I could ask the same of you, Tenno. And why do you bring a merchant cultist with you?**
>> 
>> - _What? A Corpus? Cut the crap, Teshin! He IS NOT just another Corpus! He is a man who has saved many innocent lives, and you_ **_WILL_** _help him! He has remembered an atrocity he didn't want to commit. Now, he needs something to help him!_ **_ANYTHING!_** You were a Dax. The Queens led you into evil, and you could not do anything! You must know something to help!*
>> 
>> - **Does a civilian need to...**
>> 
>> - **_HELP! NOW!_ **
>> 
>> - **...very well. Corpus. Know that I am a Dax. I was given powers, but also a fatal flaw. i could not disobey an Orokin. I spilled much innocent blood in the name of the Queens. The only thing I could do was hope for redemption, one day. Until then, i focused my sorrow, and made it useful. Look at your friend, Corpus. She is worried and feels without power, but does not allow herself to fall. Despair turns to rage and determination, and it cleaves through mountains in its wake. Know that your actions cannot change the past, but neither do they need to. As long as you do what needs to be done now, what was done before should matter not. Now, join me in my meditations. In introspection, you come ever closer to conquering the ultimate enemy. Yourself.**
> 
> And so, we did. On top of a mountain, with a magnificent view of a planet forsaken by the very kind it gave birth to, we sat in silence. And in that, pondering Teshin's words, I found a measure of peace. I am a murderer. I should have tried to find another way back then. There is nothing I can do about it now, but I can try and stop something like it from ever happening again. I cannot kill myself. It will only make Viridin's sacrifice useless... buddy, I don't know if there's something beyond this world, but, if there is, I hope you listen. I am so sorry.
> 
> Teshin eventually left. We soon followed. As Maple and I parted ways, she said one thing to me.
>
>> - _Stay safe, Kai. Or I'll make you stay safe. No deserving living being will die if I can help it._
> 
> I know you somehow get these, Maple. So, you know what? Thank you. You might have just saved my life two times now, and you never even asked for anything.
> 
> Well, that's it, really. I need to get some rest. I have a job to do, and... for that matter, a rifle to get attuned to. I should actually check what Maple put on there... six forma. Six forma and a module I have literally never even seen in my life. Dera Satiata, huh? The Tenno are crazier than a bunch of sand skates dropped onto concrete. Note to self: test this thing when attunement is done.
> 
> Right now, I just need sleep, though. I still feel guilt and sadness, but I remember Selva saying that things like this take time. Kaiathas, out.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, once again, an older Warframe design has graced our laboratories for emergency repairs. A three hour long grueling defense of a Warframe cryopod in an Orokin tower left its mark upon the Frost we have worked on, and a number of subsystems were left vulnerable to critical damage. For safety reasons, the operative's ship Cephalon delivered this particular Prime unit to Larunda Relay, and it has given us an opportunity to take a peek and give you this report.

According to the data we were given access to, Frost was born out of a desire for a Warframe specialising in point defence. Attempts at employing Tenno cells to assist with material recovery from Infestation-occupied areas quickly showed that contemporary weaponry and Warframe designs were inadequate for dealing with numerous, but individually weak hostiles. In the words from one of the documents, "...a Braton shot can kill a Runner four times over, but can't kill four of them one time over." Ember was developed in parallel with Frost for solving this same problem more aggressively, but I believe that is a tangent for a different occasion.

The initial commission for the design that would later become Frost asked that the model would have three distinct attributes: resilience, killing potential over a wide area of effect, and crowd control independent of enemy numbers. The Archimedians in charge achieved the first attribute via judicious use of ferrite armour plating, located just below the Warframe's carapace. In addition, the idea in Trinity's skirt seems to have been adapted and expanded for Frost, with the protective "robe" being largely composed of a flexible rubedo-morphics alloy.

The cream on top of the proverbial cake is a self-replenishing liquid nitrogen cooling system located just beneath the armour plating. It can fully restore its supplies within seconds by pulling air from the surrounding atmosphere, and it puts Frost's operating temperatures well below zero. The benefit is twofold: it makes ice creation significantly easier for the Warframe, lowering the complexity of the related ability systems, and, thanks to a few recent tweaks, it allows for sudden drops in local temperatures which freeze most attackers within melee range solid. All of this does come at a cost of some mobility. An acceptable tradeoff, considering Frost's role.

Identifying this Warframe is not too difficult, all things considered. A long, leg-covering robe is a constant on all used configurations, but even a blind person could notice Frost. After all, it's hard not to notice the surrounding temperature dropping like a rock whenever he's around. Even us, working on an inactive unit, needed gloves and other warm articles of clothing. A few of my colleagues here who previously worked as syndicate operatives that, for all the protection it provides, staying within a Snow Globe is unbearable with any uncovered skin, as it somehow manages to drop the temperatures even further. A shame, because staying within it is exactly what you should do when fighting together with this Warframe.

Frost comes with a standard complement of four distinct abilities, and they all make heavy use of the surrounding water vapour. However, to be usable even on areas such as Mars, the design possesses what is essentially a highly advanced dehumidifier, which passively collects water from the surrounding air and stores it for future use.

The first of these abilities is Freeze, a ball of flash-frozen water surrounded with a layer of liquid nitrogen, which is quickly hurled towards the enemy, exploding on contact with lethal effect. Any survivors are usually frozen solid, or at least significantly slowed. An augmentation module for the ability exists, and it belongs to a line of similar modules. All of these allow their respective payloads to be used on allies, where they act like temporary elemental modules, even affecting some weapon-like abilities.

Although Freeze is simple and effective, it was probably implemented just because there was space available in the Warframe's systems. The ability's role is mostly supplanted by Ice Wave, which, as the name implies, creates a cone-shaped wave of ice crystals along the ground in front of Frost. Again, flash-frozen water or water vapour is used, but it is of interest that the ice created is quite thin, with the crystals created being primarily composed of air. Their role is primarily to wound, and they quickly melt without a trace. This is caused by the lack of water the Warframe usually has access to. Attempts to alleviate this have led to the development of an augmentation module. Although making solid crystals which persist is still impossible without major changes to Frost's design, adding some extra power and IFF tweaks via the module allows low temperatures created by Ice Wave to persist, which significantly impedes the movement of any hostile passing through the area of effect.

Snow Globe is easily Frost's signature ability. Pulling any water within the surrounding air, Frost creates a thin, icy sphere around him. The process is very violent, and pushes out any hostiles within the area of effect, often sending them crashing into walls and similar objects used for lithobraking. The results are quite painful, judging from the combat footage we have available. The sphere then proceeds to block any incoming projectiles, but not thanks to the amazing defensive properties of ice; rather, the material is used as an anchor for a protective Void energy shield. The ice itself is actually very weak, and it's easy to simply walk through it. Using Void energy for protection allows some of the more unusual properties of Frost Globe, including its one-way nature and the capacity to reinforce it with subsequent usage of the ability. Unexpectedly, design documents show that there is a significant chunk of power used for the ability that does not go towards shielding, but is used to make sure that the temperatures within the sphere are controlled in such a way as to not affect friendlies in a significant manner. Consider just how affected most hostiles are by being inside the sphere, I can see why that would be the case, especially considering the existence of an augmentation module which lowers these temperatures even further. As an unfortunate side effect, friendly projectiles are not able to pass into the Snow Globe, which ironically makes Frost rarely used for dealing with the Infested, with Vauban being a more common alternative.

Of note is the way in which the Void energy shield works. Prior to a major Frost retrofit, this shield would harmlessly disperse after a certain amount of time due to the ice sphere simply melting, and the energy losing its anchor. The retrofit significantly improved the solidity of the sphere, and added the Reactive Defence Subsystem, a flexible bit of technology allowing numerous Warframes to defend more effectively based on the type of incoming damage. In this case, the energy shielding uses data gained from its first five seconds of operation to adapt its protection to the enemies shooting at it. Its basic protection is actually based on the defensive configuration of the Warframe using the ability, meaning that adding survivability modules to Frost improves the effectiveness of the shielding. Another result of the change was the addition of the ability to prematurely take down a Snow Globe by hitting it with a Freeze ball. Cephalon changelogs indicate that this was achieved with a two-line firmware addition.

Finally, Avalanche is one of the many Warframe abilities that can be best described as a panic button. Similar to Snow Globe, any water in the surrounding area is flash-frozen, but, instead of having the resulting ice concentrated inside a globe, it's used to freeze anyone unfortunate to be near Frost and, thanks to the retrofit, the temperatures significantly damage standard armour plating. Following that, a burst of liquid nitrogen is released from the Warframe, heavily damaging or outright killing anyone nearby. A simple idea, but energy-hungry, mostly owing to the need to achieve the effect precisely enough to only affect hostiles. Once again, an augmentation module exists, which lowers the difficulty of the previous task by using Avalanche to create an Iron Skin-like protective layer on friendlies.

Overly verbose analysis aside, Frost's systems are actually quite simple, and that might just be the reason I see one of these Warframes in almost all cryopod recovery mission recordings the team gets, with the exceptions mainly involving Infested. Turns out, not much point in projectile protection when the enemy barely uses them. Who knew. May your days be long and your hardships few,

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer

* * *

**_Somewhere in the Void_ **

_Damn, Kaiathas was me from not long ago. Those memories did not come easy to either of us. Thank the Lotus Teshin was when he was, I don't know if I could have pulled him together on my own._

_Wait, what am I saying? I could have. Or, maybe... no. I don't know. People are tough. So much easier to shoot your problems. Give me an army to kill, easy problem to solve._

_Well, time to try another tough problem. Human brains are not meant for this. Well, I will shape it into something meant for it._


	18. Mesa & Chroma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/648fpa/research_report_mesa_chroma/
> 
> Have questions for Kaiathas? Leave them in the Reddit thread, or on the comments of this chapter!

> I wish I could say that the events on Maple's mountain meant that I didn't need these logs anymore. Well, come to think of it, I could say that. I could also say that I am an orange carnivorous alien from the Tau Ceti system, the singular predator of the Sentients. People can say a lot of things, really.
> 
> Now that my mind has been... unfuddled, for lack of a more appropriate word coming to my mind, I remember what the nightmares were. They were many and varied, and all were focused on Viridin. Some would show up multiple times. One sticks to my mind, even now.
> 
> I was walking in the halls of Viver. There is nothing to report. All is silent and calm. Just like any other day on the station.
> 
> I step on a staircase. The staircase screams, hushed, and the dull, grey walls reflect the face of Viridin, right before I pulled the trigger. I fall through the ceiling, into the loving embrace of a Neptune overseer. Just like any other day on the station.
> 
> The overseer is gone, stabbed in the back by a Skana. The Skana was actually the Stalker's sword. He glares at me, and I cannot feel my legs. I look down, and my arms are gone, too. My limbs float into the ground, and Maple appears, puppeteering them with one of her hands. Her other hand forms them into Viridin. He screams at me. And keeps screaming. And keeps screaming. Just like any other day on the station...
> 
> Sorry. Got a bit carried away there. These dreams have a way of doing that. So, why does it stick to mind now? Because it came back to me after I was done with Frost the other day.
> 
> I was walking in the halls of Viver. There is nothing to report. All is silent and unsettling. _Not_ like any other day on the station.
> 
> I step on a staircase. The staircase screams, and the dull, grey walls reflect the face of Viridin, right before I pulled the trigger. _Not_ like any other day on the station. I take off my helmet, and apologize from the depths of my blackened heart. And just like that, it all stops. I keep patrolling, and my mind moves to more pleasant subjects.
> 
> Dreams of moving around awkwardly in an Excalibur are quickly replaced by a golden Orokin city of twisting passages and questionable rules of physics, where I find a ten meter tall coffee bean, which I charge with my Prova, decorated with pink frilly ribbons for some reason. As I hit it, I woke up.
> 
> Now that I say all this, it makes a lot less sense than it did back in the dream. Sleeping is a weird thing, isn't it? My whole journey on the mountain would seem like one, if I didn't have some very real frostbites near my kidneys to remind me of just how inhumanly cold that place is and how I needed to fix the suit's isolation. And really, the whole thing was a bit dreamlike. Memories coming back left and right? Feeling completely out of control? And, of course, the inexplicable black warrior-sage atop the mountain.
> 
> I have enough common sense to know that nobody sits in the middle of nowhere with those temperatures without a bloody good reason. Not even the most devoted prophet of Profit would do that, on account of natural selection taking the dumb ones out of the equation. Teshin had something going on, and he very carefully avoided actually telling me what it was.
> 
> This raised questions. That whole mountain raised them, and after resting, I endeavored to find an answer to the easiest one: what could my Dera do now? It now has a mod I have never seen in my entire life on it, as well as six Forma installed. I have heard people die over trying to smuggle just one of them! I suppose Forma is not such a big problem for the Tenno, considering how easy it is for them to obtain and open Orokin relics. On the other hand, she'd have to fully attune herself to the Dera every time she wanted to install another Forma, and I heard from Wasta, our software specialist, that the complexity of a Warframe makes that process significantly harder for them.
> 
> So, off to the firing range it was, together with Selva. It was a great opportunity to relay to her just what happened up there, and for her to tell me how her negotiations went. For the record, she didn't manage to do a lot. No major changes, her father is as creatively angry as he ever was, but she feels progress _is_ being made. At any rate, as we made our way towards the place, Selva was quite enthralled by my tale, although I imagine my storytelling skills weren't to blame. As I spoke about Teshin... well, I'll just let the recorder do my work.
>
>> - _Teshin? Wait, don't tell me, bloke with the mushroom hat, hangs out at the Tenno Concourse, speaks in riddles?_
>> 
>> -Well, I don't know about the riddles. He was quite clear back on the mountain.
>> 
>> - _Oh, that was probably on account of your angry Tenno friend, I spoke to him a couple of times, always all about fishes this, mountains that, and it takes me half a minute to figure out if he wanted to insult me or compliment me._
>> 
>> -You spoke to him?
>> 
>> - _Yeah, ran a couple of errands here for my old boss who tried to pull of something with the mods mushroom hat sells, but natural selection took care of him._
>> 
>> -Any chance you can set up a meeting for me later on?
>> 
>> - _I don't have to, just take the elevator to the Concourse and take the left door in front of you and just walk in, there's not even a lot of Tenno around him, so I guess they think he's weird too._
> 
> If you haven't noticed by the severe lack of modulation and periods Selva's speech exhibited, she was out of her outfit at the time, getting in touch with her feminine side. The sight is not something you easily get used to. Certainly not something Selva easily gets used to; her curves beg the question of just how she manages to fit into the Scrambus suit without any indication of them, and yet, her movements seem more unnatural out of it. Or maybe, I was just misreading it, and the movements would be considered attractive. I don't have the hormones for that kind of thing. Selva attracted attention either way, but the shiny weapons we carried discouraged any comments.
> 
> Upon entering the range, I took a moment to see who the maintenance technician on the range was. This is important, because one of them is still sore over that time I destroyed one of their target dummies. Worse yet, he has the kind of a stare that can cause crippling guilt in a man whose idea of a fun time is giving out free candy. It somehow conveys "I know you did something, and I will make you suffer for it" through the underused communications medium of eye creases. In a different world, he would have been a great Tech-Sergeant. As it happened, he was there, and I desperately avoided eye contact on my near-run to a free target.
> 
> The next few hours were largely uneventful. I was slowly getting re-attuned to my Dera, and Selva elected to work on her precision with a Lex she apparently had lying around. In her own words, _"Detron's gonna hit a poor civ in the ass, I need my suit for the Opticor, and I'm not_ **_that_** _good with the Lecta."_ This kind of practice is a constant for me ever since I got on Larunda. It's something that I have done for my entire life, and it really helps to have something you know you're good at when life really wants you to horribly die, in any sense of that word. And I _am_ good at it. The only reason I don't have the top score on that range is because the Dera doesn't work well against quick, random movements. I have some tricks for that kind of thing, though, but they can only do so much.
> 
> Eventually, a little celebratory jingle from my exosuit let me know that my weapon was fully attuned, and that I could put on whatever mods I wanted on it. It was time to test out that Riven thing. I went to the part of the range with the physical targets and equipped a full complement of mods on the Dera. As I was about to fire off a burst at one of the tougher-looking targets, I heard someone call out my name from behind me.
>
>> - _Are you Kaiathas Kahn?_
>> 
>> -Yes, what do you need?
>> 
>> - _Oh, Profit smiles upon me today! Huge fan, sir, you are a real hero! Is it true you took down eighty Moas with nothing but your Prova?_
>> 
>> -No, that was only forty five of them, this gun took care of the rest. Say, can you handle a Dera?
>> 
>> - _Handle it? Oh, sir, I was a crewman before I got here, just like you!_
>> 
>> -Well, I got some special mods on it, and I wanted to see what it can do. Want to take a shot with it?
>> 
>> - _Oh, it would make my day, sir!_
>> 
>> -Well, in that case, just fire off a burst on that target over there, will you?
>> 
>> - _Yes, sir! ...wow, I didn't expect it to go through the back wall._
>> 
>> Neither did I. Say, what's your name?
>> 
>> - _Alad, sir, no relation!_
>> 
>> -Well, Alad, it's been nice to meet you, but I have to go now. I have a feeling you wanted an autograph. Am I correct?
>> 
>> - _Oh, I didn't want to bother you like that, but my son would love it if you could..._
>> 
>> -I can. Here you go, have a nice day, and say hello to your son for me.
> 
> Now, why did I do all this? Did I suddenly grow a heart? Not really. I knew that maintenance technician was going to head over to scream at someone as soon as my Dera did some damage, and I really was not in the mood to be the one screamed at. When he got to the destroyed target and asked who turned it into scrap, Selva and I would be at least fifty meters away, Alad would get some hearing damage, and he'd still think of me as a stand-up guy! Plus, my fame amongst the ex-Corpus on the Relay would keep growing. As I have just shown, it can be a pretty useful thing.
> 
> On our way back, a well-placed nudge from Selva let me know that my lab communications device had a message on it. I have specifically told my underlings not to use it. This means that I only get the really important messages on it, which is exactly the effect I desired. With a slight feeling of dread, I unlocked the device in order to see the message. It simply stated: "Mesa, Chroma, heavy damage on both, will need to dissect". Oh dear. Two analyses at once. I still haven't found a solution for that problem. Or rather, I haven't found a solution that lets me avoid most of the work. Well, that's a problem for future Kaiathas. Right now, I need to get some sleep, then figure out when I can meet up with Teshin. Kaiathas, out.

* * *

> _Okay, relay time is... nine thirty. That's when normal people get up. Right? The man next door looks awake. Sleeping people don't scream. No reason not to knock, then._
>
>> - _Kai, it's me! Can you open, please?_
>> 
>> -Oh. Good morning, Maple! What brings you here?
>> 
>> - _Did I wake you up?_
>> 
>> -No, the screaming idiot has had that job pinned down for the last three days. I really need to do something about that... Now, seriously, why are you here? The Tenno don't just come here to have a cup of coffee, and I have two Warframes to analyse today anyway, so what kind of a deathtrap are you sending me to today?
>> 
>> - _No deathtraps._
>> 
>> -No deathtraps? Oh, I know, you want to have me do something seemingly innocent which will result in the Stalker de-leggifying me again through an inexplicable chain of events started only so the universe can metaphorically shove an Atterax up my ass.
>> 
>> - _Nice choice of words, but no._
>> 
>> -Huh. Maybe, a meeting with a new acquaintance somehow resulting in an angry Grineer councilor sending fifty Manics after me?
>> 
>> - _They'd need at least one hundred, and no. Remember when you said that I "never asked for anything?" Oh, and good morning, Selva._
>> 
>> - **Morning, Maple. Morning, boss. Got your sweetener.**
> 
> _Selva. She came up soundlessly from behind me. I don't know how she did it. The suit she has gives off a low hum. Suppose I was not paying attention. Faint scent of something. I know the smell, but can't place it. A Ceres plant, maybe?_
>
>> -Thank you, Selva. Anyway, yes, I do remember saying that.
>> 
>> - _Well, that's about to change. I want to write a Warframe analysis._
>> 
>> -...why?
>> 
>> - _I was just hoping to use any Orokin technology specifications you would provide to somehow reverse engineer a way to increase the efficiency of an ancient Orokin artifact._
>> 
>> ...
>> 
>> - _Oh, and I really wanted to say some things. Specifically, to the civvies reading them._
>> 
>> -I didn't know you can be sarcastic. You do realise that I would need to heavily edit the data so you could do that?
>> 
>> - _Yup._
> 
> _I know that too well. I tried to see the hidden stuff. As soon as I got near the lab, alarms started blaring. Made a run for it. The Lotus really doesn't want us to see Warframe innards. Yet._
>
>> -I don't think Cordylon will be too happy with that, too. I'll have to ask him, and he probably won't let me.
>> 
>> - **Don't worry, Mr. Kahn, because I already have three precedents on my mind that I could use to convince him, and the bucket of bits won't be able to do anything about them.**
>> 
>> -Okay, then. Where do I leave the data for you, Maple?
>> 
>> - _Just leave it on your desk. I will take it when you are out._
>> 
>> -...riiiight.
>> 
>> - _Oh, and one more thing. Know anyone who can armour my suit? Bullets hurt._
>> 
>> - **You want Karget on floor 2, just off the elevator, he's a Grineer with Meridian, bit dumb, but works wonders with metal, tell him I sent you.**
>> 
>> - _Thank you, Selva! See you soon, Kai!_
> 
> _Didn't expect the truth to work that well. Why was Kai speaking about sarcasm, though? Good thing he has two Warframes to work with. I know that. Expected the request to work better because of it. Where was the elevator... that man is still screaming. Strange._

* * *

> _That took longer than it should have. So many problems. If only I could have used my Rhino..._
> 
> _Or a wrench and a small bag of coffee. Those would have worked too. Strange day. Anyway, this is the place. It's in an industrial sector of the Relay. Karget's place is very Grineer. The browns and greens are a nice contrasts to the Tenno grey. Makes it stick out. The heat also helps with that. And the flowing metal. And the unidentifiable dust cloud. It's more of a recess in the wall than a building. Like a cave with metal boulders and no angry Kubrows._
> 
> _I make my way to the stall. Two men working around a forge in the center. One is obviously a Grineer. You'd need a very dark room to not notice that. Probably something intoxicating, too. Must be Karget. He has heavily modified Lancer armour. A lot shinier and blockier. Off his belt, a bunch of heavy-looking tools. Very worn, but cared for. At the moment, the man's preoccupied with a hunk of Ferrite. In his eyes, a look of intense focus._
> 
> _The other's strange. Short, real thin, almost skeletal. Ribs poking through the standard jumpsuit. However, really agile, moving through the place like a dancer. Unsettling twitching when he stands, though. The brains of the workshop, I think. He's the one to question about armour._
>
>> - _Good morning, sir. I wish to hire you for something._
>> 
>> - **Good morning, girl! I'm Antin and— and who has sent you? Your feh— father? You lick— loc— look like a proper daugher, lady!**
> 
> _Strange cadence to Antin's speech. Speaks like he's afraid his thoughts will run away. That is, unless he rattles off the words fast enough. I do that, too, but without the stuttering._
>
>> - _Oh, it's for me. Mister Selva Zinik said you were good._
> 
> I hear countless metal plates clanging off of each other. I turn around to see that's the noise of Karget's armour. Definitely not the outfit to break into a Corpus vault wearing. Unless you have a really big gun and a squad of soldiers. He walks towards me. I fight the urge to shoot an energy beam into him. Old habits die hard.
>
>> -Sᴇʟᴠᴀ. Cᴏʀᴘᴜs ᴘᴀʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ. Fʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ... ᴍᴜsᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ. Wʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ?
> 
> In contrast to Antin, Karget has his thoughts safe in his head. Knocked out with a Jat Kittag. He struggles with the language, probably. His voice, though? Like a gong, reverberating in an empty galleon. Deep, smooth, intimidating. I know I can murder him if I need to. I know I can do that in twenty different ways. But he makes me shudder.
>
>> - _I need some light body armour on my suit. The best you can do. I can pay whatever you need._
>> 
>> -Wʜᴀᴛ... sᴜɪᴛ?
>> 
>> - _I came prepared. Just let me get it out... there, this one._
>> 
>> -Hᴍᴍ... Exᴘᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ. Aɴ-ᴜsʜᴜ-ᴀʟ. Sᴜʜ-ᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ɢɪʀʟ. Wʜᴏ ʏᴏᴜ?
> 
> _I had a feeling someone would ask that. I came prepared for that, too._
>
>> - _I am Maple Starborn, from Pinefall, on Europa. My dad works a lot with Darvo. It made us rich._
>> 
>> -Hᴍᴍᴍᴍᴍᴍᴍ...
> 
>  _He glares at me, like I am a block of Ferrite to be shaped. Something deeply terrifying about him. He doesn't sound dumb. It's like he doesn't_ **_need_** _the extra words. I blurt out the truth. Before I realize what I am doing, I have already told everything._
>
>> - _Okay, okay, I'm actually a Tenno!_
>> 
>> -Hᴀ, ʜᴀ, ʜᴀ. Fᴜɴɴʏ! Bᴇsᴛ ᴀʀᴍᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴏʀ Tᴇʜ-ɴɴᴏ ᴏxɪᴜᴍ ᴀʟʟᴏʏ. Uɴʟᴇss ɢᴇᴛ Kᴀʀɢᴇᴛ Oᴜʜ-ʀᴏʜ-ᴋᴇᴇɴ ᴍᴇᴛᴀʟ.
>> 
>> - **Sir, how could anyone even have tuh— that just lying around? Best ju—**
>> 
>> - _Prime parts okay?_
>> 
>> -Bɪɢ ʙʟᴀᴅᴇs.
>> 
>> - _Scindo Prime blades, maybe?_
>> 
>> -Pᴀʀ-ꜰᴇᴋᴛ. Nᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴡᴏ.
>> 
>> - _I'll be back in five minutes, then._
>> 
>> - **But how?**
>> 
>> - _I'm a Tenno, remember?_
> 
> _Scindo's vaulted, true. Oh well. Can't seem to sell them anyway. It is not like I need platinum. I run to the Liset. A more pressing matter emerges. They know I'm a Tenno. Will they tell anyone? Wait, he said funny... aaaah. They thought I was joking. I need to talk more. Well, anyway. Three blades. Two for the armour, one for payment. Fair, right?_
> 
> _More than fair, it turns out. The blades were heavy, true. But, when I got back to Kargat? First time I ever saw a Grineer cry. Feels good to be good._
> 
> _So, why do I need the armour? Kuva guardians hit hard? And, if a project of mine goes well, I will need it. Next up, shield generators. Then, the Liset. Then, sleep until Kai is done. Or maybe, Selva is done._

* * *

> > - **and therefore, Section 17 makes a clear precedent for a Tenno researcher.**
>> 
>> - _Processing... Engaging precept 124-S... Ah. Selva Zinik, you will find that I have requested a new precept to adequately interpret legal matters. I believe it was referred to as a "legalese-absorbing crumple precept". Unfortunately for you, this means that I am now equipped to understand that your interpretation of this matter is very "imaginative", a concept I abhor, seeing as imagination is a waste of valuable processing resources. There is also the fact Operative Maple has been investigated for illegal behaviour, although it must be said there is no conclusive evidence of any misdeeds yet. Nevertheless, this complicates your situation, and I am afraid I will have to take this matter to a higher authority._
>> 
>> - **Boss said he needs approval now.**
>> 
>> - _I suppose this appeal could be avoided if Archivist Kahn were to be persuaded to complete a small assignment for this Cephalon._
>> 
>> - **What favour?**
>> 
>> - _A number of Tenno have had questions for me to which I would devote a small portion of my operating capacity. Lately, I have been unable to do so due to increased operating load. Available data shows that Archivist Kahn could answer many of these questions at an acceptable satisfaction rate. If he is to do it, I will gladly authorise a Tenno analyst, provided of course that certain details are kept hidden from Operative Maple._
>> 
>> - **He'll do it.**
>> 
>> - _Most pleasing. Archivist Kahn will have the questions and the approval forwarded. Terminating connection._
>> 
>> - **Guess Teshin will have to wait.**

* * *

**_In orbit of Saturn_ **

> _And there's Kaiathas's Mesa data! Now, to go through it..._
> 
> _I... don't know what I expected. Oh well, plan B. Suda owes Archon favours, and Archon owes me favours. I'll get a full octave out of you yet, Octavia._
> 
> _Now, main project. One mind is not gonna work for that. But I aren't limited to that, am I? I know you can think, Ivara. Who are you beyond the living metal? Do you like me? Did you like me back in the day? So many questions. Now, let's try and get you to use your head._

* * *

Hello, fellow Tenno! And all the rest of you, too. Don't worry, we care. So, the boss man here had two frames drop in at the same time. He let me write an analysis for the prettier one. If you were thinking of Chroma, you need to get your brain checked. Wish I could tell the damage was pretty.

Look, people. You want a Warframe. You kill a village's worth of things for the resources. You give them to your Cephalon. It lovingly forms it into shape over eighty four hours. The technology for this is so secret, Corpus pay millions of platinum for intact Warframe parts. Parts! And then one of you drills into it with an Orokin laser. Intentionally. Mesa is not supposed to have a hole in her chest! I saw the footage. You were at that wall for an hour! Anonymous Tenno, what did you think was going to happen? Platinum raining from the Void? Spontaneous Primed Chamber? The ability to pull off what we _used_ to do with Dual Zorens? I mean, did the pain not tell you this was a bad idea? Get it together! If I stuck Clem in the chair on your orbiter, he'd do a better job!

Enough about stupid decisions. Might encourage people. Mr. Kahn handed me over some files on Mesa. Some interesting history there. Our favourite Executor, Ballas, wanted to test Void energy weapons. Therefore, Mesa got her Peacemakers. More on those later on. The rest of the frame was a nice bonus, basically.

Considering how Mesa looks, she is pretty tough. Sure, she looks like she's wearing only clothes. Clothes made out of an Oxium-Morphics alloy. Just beneath is is some unusual armour. Archimedians wanted to try out ferrite alternatives, and the result was the kind of thing you see on a Juggernaut. Pretty tough, almost completely biological. Didn't help against one hour of intense lasering though. Can't shield from stupid. The head still has some alloy plating, though. Lots of computational systems there, and I guess they didn't want to risk it.

If you're not a Tenno, you probably want to know what Mesa looks like. As I said, looks like she wears clothes. Tight fit, but not as tight as what I see on Larunda. Note the metal balls on her hip, and the collapsible pistols on her arms. Those two are a dead giveaway. I'd suggest making sure and finding a picture, just in case. If you're with her, check those IFF systems. And then check them again. Unless you like getting shot in the face. Maybe you do. I won't judge. Probably. Cannot guarantee that for the rest of us.

Enough about how Mesa looks. The Tenno reading care about something else. Namely, how does one paint her? Well, you have the energy colour and the fourth slot as your highlights. All others take up a lot of space on her. Hence, duller may work better. I run dark blue and clay brown as primary colours on her. She can work with brighter colours, though. I have seen some nice white-based schemes. What about red and black? Normally, you get a punch in the gut for that idea. No effort, no originality, kind of immature. However, it's okay with Faven's Graxx skin. Nice Nightwatch costume. If you use the Simulor with that, though, well. I _would_ have punched you. However, I've been playing with that thing. A lot. It actually requires some thought now! And it still hurts a lot! As for attachments, I don't think Mesa needs them. Maybe Harkonar if you're running the costume. Eos might work, too.

Fashion is nice, but our job is to kill people. I know, hard to believe sometimes. Mesa has the standard four abilities and a passive: she shoots people well. No, seriously. That's everything the passive is about. Mesa has slightly improved software related to sidearm handling. Unfortunately, the improvements made are specific to Mesa, so no gunslinger Excaliburs. Yet. The improvements also have an odd quirk: her biological plating works better without a melee weapon. Why? Boss is not sure. His infested specialist is blaming the Technocyte. Says it doesn't like those weapons for some reason. Too hard to tell though. Well, unless you want to become a Cephalon and go through the full design documents. Good luck.

  * Ballistic Battery is a smart little thing. Every gun leaves some excess energy when shooting. Friction, recoil, excess plasma, such things. Well, this ability takes that energy. It stores it, and then works like a one-shot damage mod. In short, shoot, charge up, shoot harder. You can make this better with an augment. Mesa's augments come from Veil and Meridian, for reference. Apparently, it's basically a Rifle Aptitude mod, but good, but _also_ limited to one shot. Even then, way better than Rifle Aptitude. Can we get some work done on that? 15% status chance is horrible! Nobody uses that thing!

  * Shooting Gallery is a badass little energy ball. For one, it's a mini-Serration; makes everyone's guns better. Mr. Kahn says it's based on Peacemaker's mod compatibility. They just linked some systems from that ability so that this one works. Well, she _was_ built completely around the guns. Makes sense. There's also a bit of Radial Disarm systems in there. Take a wild guess at what let the ball do. It rhymes with charm. There's also two of the balls every time the ability is used. One of them jumps around teammates. Boss's team is stumped. No idea why it's designed that way. I have an idea, though. Mesa's other three abilities are very selfish. All based around herself. The designers probably wanted something to work with a cell. Hence, two balls, double the fun. The augment for Shooting Gallery adds some Radial Blind systems. Its effects rhyme with colourblind.

  * Boss man described Shatter Shield as a "reactive Void energy shielding layer over the Warframe, with its configuration physically based on aramid fibers". I have no idea what aramid fibers are. Therefore, I'll dumb it down based on the data: it's energy armour that sucks against slow and heavy things. Or, even simpler, can't shoot it, can cut it with a sword. It's not complete protection, though. All the Tenno using Mesa should know that. Or, rather, feel that. Getting shot with the ability on still stings a bit. Also, it should not work against energy weapons, but it does. Explanation's too over my head. Documents say it was a happy accident. Something about the mod systems used. Point is, watch yourself near Scorches. I don't trust anything I can't understand. Neither should you. Anyway, Shatter Shield's so good against projectiles, they bounce right off it. Love it when a Bombard rocket does that. Unhittable pieces of crap. Again, there's an augment. This one shoots off very small pieces of the shield to whoever hits you. They can't damage, but they can stagger. No wonder they called it Staggering Shield, then.

  * Finally, Peacemakers. The big thing. The best thing. At least, according to the Mesa fans. Never liked those things myself. They're dual pistols which shoot Void energy instead of standard ammo. This makes them hit hard. They use the mods from any sidearms Mesa has. This makes them hit harder. Because they work off energy, the systems make them scale off of Power Strength mods. This makes them hit so hard, you'd see Mesa on every mission for like two months. They also get even better with continuous use! It's the high-tech equivalent of warming up, or so Mr. Kahn tells me. Also, automatic target acquisition. Well, within a reasonable range. Still harder to use than the old Simulor. Those are the good aspects. So, why do I dislike them? Well, they lock you in place; too hard to do the auto-aiming calculations otherwise. They draw more power than a small space station. Most importantly? That thing gave me a splitting headache back in the days.

  * This message is for the Tenno fans of the old Mesa. You know, when she could hit anything around her. HOW DID YOU STAY SANE!? Did you not get the splitting headaches? The sore limbs? The painful everything? I know this was before Lua, so it might be a tad fuzzy to you. However, I remember how much it sucked to keep Peacemaker up for any longer than three minutes! And then, some of you would keep doing it for three hours! Enough Simulor jokes (may it find skill in launcher heaven). I understand we have a job to do. Fun is not important for this. Just success. Therefore, yes, it was boring, but it was effective. But it still really hurt, and you kept doing it! I know it wasn't just me. I knew other people with that problem. That's the reason for Mesa's downgrade. I don't feel uncomfortable using Peacemakers now. And yet, a bunch of you masochists complained. Said that Mesa is useless now. Just _aim_ , Tenno. Even I can aim Peacemakers. My Conclave K/D is 0.6. Make of that what you will.




In conclusion? Mesa is the shootiest frame of them all. In conclusion? Mesa is the shootiest frame of them all. Give her a Lex Prime with enough Forma to purchase a personal shuttle other sidearms are available. Load that thing with mods. Enjoy the carnage. Now, normally, a Corpus proverb for the Tenno goes here. Or something. Not sure where the boss man gets them from. Well, the Tenno get too much praise. I know, I am one. So, up next, a message for you, syndicates, civilians, whoever else reads this. Not sure about the security protocols. Tenno don't interact a lot with them. Unless you count destroying them with overwhelming firepower as interaction.

Some of us are detached from what we do. It's easy to forget what we're fighting for. However, we fight for you whether we know it or not. Recently, my clan alone had saved over five thousand Grineer pacifist defectors. There is only ten of us. Other clans exist, with up to one thousand members. Almost all of them did the same as us. Maybe they did it just for the rewards? I don't know. What's important is that innocents were saved. So, know that we care, even if we don't know it. I know it. Keep safe, people. The Origin system can be a scary place.

Silver Dragon **_Maple_** , Warmaster of Regrowth

* * *

 

I do hope you enjoyed Operative Maple's unusual style. Mesa is a Warframe adored by many Tenno, and it is only appropriate that such a beloved model is analysed by one. Next up is the matter of the Chroma delivered to our lab in an astonishingly damaged condition. The cause of the damage? The Transference link was broken during a fight against a Grineer Manic, which jumped to the opportunity and ripped off several armour plates from the immobile Warframe. When the link was restored, Chroma could still function, but the operator could not continue the mission due to the immense pain they suffered.

This would normally make the repair work difficult on its own, but it was compounded by the complexity of Chroma's systems. A part of the Warframe's chassis, the "pelt", can detach itself and work independently of him, and within that part, subsystems from Frost, Volt, Saryn and Ember are interwoven with ability subsystems specific to the model in a highly compact form factor. There is not a lot of room to make any cuts, and I will not lie; the team and I came very close to accidentally causing further damage during our work on that part of Chroma. The core of the Warframe is better, but not by much, as it still houses the subsystems required to coordinate everything within the pelt, and some minor teleportation systems that will be covered later on.

After this description, one would expect that Chroma is about as fragile as a window in your standard Corpus ship. Any syndicate operatives that had the opportunity to fight alongside one of them can tell you that is not the case. A combination of powerful defensive abilities, thick armour plating, and some well-placed redundant systems ensure that the Warframe can take a lot of punishment. One of our researchers made good use of there, and so should you; if there's a Chroma with you, let him attract attention and lethal projectiles, not you. All of this did come at the price of aesthetics, as Chroma has a distinctive, rough texture on his pelt, evocative of a dragon, with a basic humanoid shape covered by it. Function is very much over form here, and opinions in the lab on that appearance are split. Some appreciate it, some think it looks like a Warframe in name only. I'm more in the second camp. However, Operative Maple has been very keen on letting anyone who would want to listen that there is a new cosmetic chassis variant for the Warframe coming soon, and that it looks very pleasant, to cut three minutes of uninterrupted praise short. She refused to make a comment on how she knows this information.

Speaking of aesthetics, I don't plan on making any "fashion guides" in the style of Operative Maple, mostly because I am not a Tenno, and I have no training on looking appealing. I'm afraid Neptune only teaches obedience and killing in its curriculum. That being said, colour choice is a vital part to Chroma's functionality, as the energy colour chosen for Chroma impacts the nature of most of his abilities. There are four options, corresponding to the four basic elements of weapon modules (and the four Warframes whose systems are in Chroma's pelt): heat, cold, toxin and electricity. In theory, swapping between these during the mission could be possible, but the complexity of the Warframe and the conspicious lack of documentation stop this team from making any comments. Orokin-era documents corresponding to Chroma are practically nonexistent, which is unusual even for a later model. This kind of obfuscation is typical to Sentient-related matters in my experience, which means any further speculation on the secrecy is probably beyond my paygrade.

  * Chroma's most basic ability, Spectral Scream, is affected by the elemental choice: it's a stream of painful elemental energy. The entire ability system is housed within the pelt, and it works as a modification of Frost's, Ember's, Volt's, and Saryn's respective basic abilities. With the right augmentation module, balls of the corresponding elements are shot out along with the stream, much like the original Warframes use their respective abilities. It's simply a matter of extra circuit logic added by the module. Doesn't seem to be possible to have all four work at the same time, though, and compressing the systems to Chroma's pelt has an unfortunate side effect of disabling most mobility subsystems for the duration of the ability. There is also the matter of how the Warframe can use this ability while the pelt is detached, solved by the addition of a small teleportation subsystem inside his core neuroptics. It does take up even more space in a Warframe without a lot of it to begin with, but it draws practically no power and improves the flexibility of the model.

  * Elemental Ward is affected by Chroma's element even more significantly than the previous ability. The systems involved represent the peak of the Warframe's complexity, but my team has been able to decypher his secrets through hard work, dedication, and absolutely no help from any Cephalon willing to decode their Warframe logs into a human-readable form. The gist of the ability is that is creates an aura based on Chroma's element. There is a component to each of them based on one of the Warframes used for the creation of Chroma, and one provided by his original systems. The latter component gives nearby allies boosts via a Void energy overcharge to relevant systems, in much the same way as seen with Rhino's Roar and Valkyr's Warcry. The elemental choice just focused the boosts to specific systems. The auras have a restricted range, but this weakness can be somewhat alleviated by an augmentation module which allows Elemental Ward's beneficial effects to focus on specific friendly targets, instead of them simply diffusing into Chroma's surroundings.



  1. The heat aura is simple enough: it burns any enemy unfortunate enough to be within Chroma's range, and charges up the living tissue of any allies in the vicinity, effectively increasing durability. The feeling of this effect taking place has been described as _"sticking a fork down a low-voltage power socket."_ As for the burning part of the aura, it would seem to be based on Ember's Fire Blast. We could be wrong, though, as we haven't had the chance to examine an Ember up close.
  2. Conversely, the cold aura reinforces metal plating and other forms of armour, and its elemental effect is mostly defensive. Namely, using a part of Frost's Snow Globe systems, any projectiles that hit affected allies bounce back to hit whoever fired them, or, at least, someone in their general direction. Sadly, the incoming fire is not completely neutralised, and this aura is a good way to get a feeling of the stress the average Snow Globe suffers during a cryopod defence mission.
  3. The electric aura overcharges shield systems, and causes any damage taken by those affected by it to trigger an electric discharge, up to thirty five times more powerful than the trauma it was triggered by. The system responsible for this effect belongs to Volt, as it might be expected, but we have been unable to figure out which exact system was responsible for a long time. After the lab's walls receiving several head-shaped dents, the reason for this frustration was found: The systems responsible are based on the Shocking Speed augmentation module, which was certainly not anyone's first, second, or twelfth guess.
  4. Compared to this unpleasantness, the toxin aura was a welcome reprieve: overcharged motor control systems (or, in case of non-Warframes, a very unpleasant feeling in the arms which is nonetheless effective) in tandem with a Toxin Lash system modified to release its payload more freely, yet unreliably.


  * Vex Armor is quite vexing in its functionality. It is completely housed within Chroma's core and it features some very unusual design decisions in its implementation. The wiring is very unlike the standard Orokin style, and some subsystems appear like they were ripped out from something very different from a Warframe. I have reasons to believe that Vex Armor might have somehow been adapted from Sentient technology, but I don't have the knowledge or the paycheck to make more comments about that matter. Thankfully, the principle of the ability is quite simple: it's a form of Void energy reactive armour, whose effects depend on whether shields or biological components are damaged. In case of the former, energy is diverted to boost armour integrity in preparation for a shield break, and in case of the latter, any held weapons are charged up, presumably under the philosophy of offense being the best defence. The process is not completely energy efficient, and there is an augmentation module than can focus excess energy losses into retaliatory energy blasts.


  * Effigy is the ability that governs Chroma's ability to have his pelt function on its own. It can detach from the Warframe, hover, and attack any hostiles close to it with an elemental onslaught (using Spectral Scream systems) and bursts of loud, disorienting noise (using a small, powerful speaker) as long as it is provided energy. All this comes with a caveat for Chroma himself, as the pelt houses most of his armour plating. That being said, it is easier to move without heavy metal plating, but Operative Maple informs me that most Tenno are of the opinion that this does not offset the loss of durability. Or, to put it in her words: _"Everyone wants the armour. Some of us just don't know it yet. Mostly new guys. They need to take some Bombard rockets."_ The functionality of this ability is actually fairly simple: the pelt is controlled by a small AI subsystem inside Chroma's core, and kept afloat and dangerous through the generous application of Void energy. There is just one oddity: a combat scavenging subsystem that alters the pelt's energy blasts in such a way to preserve any valuable items on its victims intact. It's out of place, and there's no indication of why it's there. The team and I had a discussion about it, and our most likely hypothesis is that the Archimedian in charge of the Warframe design wanted something evocative of the mythological dragon's hoard, to go with Chroma's draconic theme. An odd design choice, but hardly the only such decision made for a Warframe.
  * On the topic of design decisions, there is the question of what exactly was Chroma made for. Our best attempts at chronology put this model at the time where Archimedians were moving away from role-oriented designs (i.e. Excalibur, Trinity and Rhino) and moving towards more concept-oriented designs (i.e. Zephyr, Nekros, and the newly rediscovered Octavia). I still believe the designers had a role in mind, and my personal take on his role would put him alongside Inaros: extended forays into enemy territory with no option of maintenance or Warframe swapping. In contrast with Inaros' sheer durability, Chroma seems to be the more flexible choice, with the choice of elements allowing him to adapt between missions to serve whatever role he is needed in. Whatever the case may be, it stands that Chroma is an impressive piece of biotechnology, even if the result is not as good as it maybe could be. May you... look, I'm just hoping you don't have to do anything like the team went through, digging through Chroma's systems. I can make a wig from all the hair we tore in frustration.

With utmost respect,

**_Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer

* * *

**_A shuttle, landed on Europa_**

> > - _Operator, you will be pleased to hear that your off-world assets are completely intact, and your order has been restored._
>> 
>> -I cannot believe it. The useless hologram did something right! Is Zet-5 still alive, Bardin?
>> 
>> - _Alive and loyal, Captain Varalik._
>> 
>> -Then send him to the Tenno relays. I need to find and send a message to the armoured Scrambus from the compound, and his purple lackey.
>> 
>> - _Would you like the message in text, voice, or video, Captain?_
>> 
>> - _sigh_ No, you dumb, pathetic excuse for a ship Cephalon, I want the peasants **DEAD**.
>> 
>> - _Very well, Captain. Your word is law._
>> 
>> -Oh, and do tell him to get the purple idiot's Dera, if you are even capable of such advanced communication.
>> 
>> - _Acknowledged and understood. I apologise for my failures._





	19. Zephyr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/68n9zb/research_report_zephyr/

* * *

> Greetings, Tenno. As I have been recently informed, Cephalon Cordylon used to answer questions you would send to him. However, increases in Tenno activity have forced him to relinquish that duty. The fact that I am speaking this right now should indicate who got stuck with answering them.
> 
> Oddly enough, a lot of the questions I was given were addressed to me personally. Some of them weren't even questions, just messages, sent to me as Maple released my stol... misplaced logs to you. At any rate, I got a job to do, and I've gotten Selva here to help me out with any questions I might have problems with.

* * *

> > **_Question 1_** :
>> 
>> Would you rather fight a hundred Ratel-sized Razorbacks, or one Razorback-sized Ratel?
>> 
>> Operator **_TheJadrimian_**
> 
> -Ratels... Selva, what are Ratels?
> 
> - _Combat drones, not even as big as an osprey. Heard dad say that the Board has been trying to get them into mass production for ages, but it could only do that about a month ago and they're pretty harmless, unless you get swarmed, and he says they sting like a naked priestesses..._
> 
> -Okay, then. If I'm in a situation requiring me to choose between those two, I'm legging it. That kind of a choice means that I am exactly the wrong man in the wrong place, and that I should work to alleviate that situation as quickly as possible. However, if I was dumped in some sort of an arena by an insanely rich bastard who happened to be also rich in insanity, I'd have to go with the Razorback-sized Ratel and bank on it collapsing under its own weight. The square-cube law is a harsh mistress.

* * *

> > **_Question 2_** :
>> 
>> In light of their somewhat recent reappearance and surge of activity, what data do we have on the Sentients?
>> 
>> Operator **_cephalopodAssistant_**
> 
> Oh, this one was definitely for Cordylon. We know tons, probably, but Cordylon isn't about to let any of it go to the masses, this particular unwashed plebeian included. For once, I agree with the holo-polygon. The Sentients took the Orokin by subverting their technology and knowledge, and it's probably a good idea to not give them any idea of how much ass we can, or can't, kick.
> 
> What I can tell you is probably not much more than you already know, I'm afraid. Probably even less. There's an important Sentient individual, Hunhow, somewhere on Neptune, and we only get any attacks on Lua. The official reasoning for this is that they are hunting any Tenno still in cryosleep. As for the Sentients themselves, I believe the Conculysts and Battalysts are just proxies, possibly somewhat like Warframes, with the actual Sentients being safely hidden somewhere. Those two use some technology nobody has been able to reverse-engineer outside of a scant few prototypes.
> 
> This is probably not what you wanted to hear. If push comes to shove, though, the data Cephalons will probably release what data may be needed. You have been hunting terminals and data caches related to the Old War for years now. I highly doubt we didn't find something useful.

* * *

> > **_Question 3_ **
>> 
>> Kaiathas, my main man, my hombre, my ...
>> 
>> nevermind.
>> 
>> anyway, if you're stuck in a ship alone with a single Warframe, and the warframe is trying to kill you, which warframe would you be scared of most, and how would you try to disable it???
>> 
>> From Olympus Mons outpost, Operator **_Sunscreeen_** , Gold Hunter.
> 
> What's a hombre? Odd term, Selva, you heard of it?... guess not. Probably something Tenno. Anyway, this is a tough question. Mostly because I'd be terrified of any Warframe, barring perhaps a Zephyr with a funny-shaped bump in her codpiece. Actually, no, I'd be extra terrified of her. The operator probably never lived that down.
> 
> I suppose it will have to be Mag. I know, she's not the same Warframe as she was in the Viver days, but I would lie if I didn't say that the visions of you Tenno methodically slaughtering the entire station one transmission at a time don't give me shivers. The thought of just running to fight an unknown Tenno threat, only to have your shields blow up and your body spontaneously crumple upon itself before you even get to see your killer... I'm going to need to take a moment.
> 
> Better. I had to watch recordings of Viver a lot in the bad old days. At least I found out later on that most of the victims were indoctrinees shipped straight from Neptune to reinforce the initial losses. Killing them is almost doing them a favour. I can only hope there were no Viridins among them.

* * *

> > **_Question 4_ **
>> 
>> Would you mind going on a short foray into an Orokin tower with me as an opportunity to discuss both topics of history as well as hypotheses of what we've taken to calling 'Focus'? The latter, I feel, has what could be considered the ur-forms of our Warframe powers and I feel your insights gained through your research would be valuable.
>> 
>> Operator **_Terumitsu_**
> 
> There are three things any fresh Crewman gets told by his more grizzled compatriots, barring the surprisingly common event of the newbie being a little git who deserves to die painfully. In order of importance, they are:
> 
>   1. In the event of a Tenno attack, get as far out of the way as you can without getting shot for insubordination. If the Tech-Sergeant asks what you were doing, tell him you were setting up an ambush.
>   2. Never take a "promotion" to Nullifier crewman unless you like being a mobile bullseye.
>   3. Never, EVER, **_EVER_** go to an Orokin Tower! Especially if they are paying a lot of money for an expedition, it means they don't expect to have to cough up the creds. If you get volunteered, run for the nearest escape shuttle and pray. Getting killed is positively ecstatic to what happens in the towers.
> 

> 
> I'm sure Tenno Void protection systems are far more reliable than the Corpus Corruptotron 300-BS or whatever pathetic excuse for an Orokin IFF emulator they have these days, but I am absolutely not going into the Void for any reason whatsoever. It's pretty simple: if the Neural Sentry thinks you're not Orokin, you get zapped, brainwashed, and suffer an eternity of damnation in the Void until a Tenno needs some Argon Crystals for a shiny new gun and puts you out of your misery so they can frisk your corpse. I have done some crazy things in the last few months, but this is the line I am not crossing.

* * *

> > **_Question 5_ **
>> 
>> Will you revisit the new model of Limbo, which appears to be significantly different from your first dissection?
>> 
>> Operator **_Kliuqard_**
> 
> Speaking of old crewman traditions, there is another one I am still a strict adherent of. Namely, I believe in exchanging my skills for goods, services, or an adequate representation thereof for the proliferation of Profit. Ripping up another Limbo for an analysis would run contrary to this very reasonable way of life, as the orange light show is only paying me for one analysis per Warframe.
> 
> It's not that getting my hands on one of those is unusual. Limbo is a common guest in our lab ever since we moved to repair duties. Turns out, cramming a bunch of highly experimental technology on one platform does not for a reliable killing machine make. Even with the new ability improvements, the Warframe requires frequent maintenance. A proper analysis requires I gather the entire team, around four hours for the physical work, up to twelve hours for the research work, and then about three more hours to compile all the data into an analysis.
> 
> In other words, not going to happen.

* * *

> > **_Question 6_ **
>> 
>> Is this thing working...
>> 
>> Ah, good. Hi there, Kaiathas! Thanks for writing those analyses, they're very illuminating. Question: what sort of civvies are living out there? You probably know that we don't see them often, and I'm curious.
>> 
>> Operator **_Desdendelle_** , French Maid, Clan Rokudenashis
> 
> -What in the Void is french? Selva, ideas?
> 
> _-Sounds like some kind of colour._
> 
> -Yeah, you're right. Probably a shade of blue, if you ask me.
> 
> _-It's the Tenno, remember? Probably a red or a grey._
> 
> -No, has to be blue, only blue gets the really fancy hue names. Anyway, the question. Well, if I had to make some kind of a division, there are the Corpus civilians, the Grineer civilians, and the independents.
> 
> -The people in Corpus territories are in a bit of a grey area. Let me illustrate. Let's say you are a civilian on one of the space stations in orbit of Neptune. You pay your taxes, you don't collaborate with the Grineer nor the Tenno, and you don't do anything too harmful to the station. In that case, the authorities won't really bat an eyelid at your existence, even though you don't venerate Profit. This is perfectly acceptable, but not too common.
> 
> -If you take the various vows of Profit and become a part of the Corpus, so to speak, you get better pay, less taxes, more social approval, better seats at your favourite bar... but even then, you're still probably a civilian. You aren't going to get sent off to fight the Grineer, and your life is probably the same as before the change, barring a couple of prayers in visible places, just in case. Sure, you might have to submit genetic material for the Crewman project, but I'm told that's a harmless experience. But, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, you are Corpus, regardless of your own opinions on the matter. I reckon there's a good reason the Lotus keeps the Tenno well away from civilians.
> 
> -As for the Grineer, my knowledge fails me there. For most of my life, I've only heard propaganda. If you ask the instructors in the indoctrination temples, life as a civilian under the Grineer can be summed up in one sentence: imagine a rotten, armoured hand crushing your head - forever.
> 
> _-I've worked for a while with Steel Meridian, boss, and the eggheads didn't need to make up a lot, the Grineer really are nasty, it's the whole..._
> 
> -Slow down a little, Selva.
> 
> _-Sorry. It's the idea that the clones are the master race. Meridian's fighters will be the first to tell you Grineer as a species have serious problems, but the Empire seems to think that lying hard enough will somehow overwrite reality. If you're not Grineer, you're nothing. You're worse than nothing. You're a bunch of carbon that could have been a Grineer. The absolute best a civilian can hope for in the Empire is a logistics job, and that's only if they are really lucky. Otherwise, they get some fun jobs. You know, mine disposal, heavy machinery repairs, and the payment is not getting whipped with an Atterax, probably, and that pisses off Cressa and her boys to no end. If you ask one of the smarter guys, they'll talk, trust me._
> 
> -Well, there you have it, Tenno. I mean, it could be that Meridian is also over-exaggerating...
> 
> _-That's above our paygrade, boss._
> 
> -Yeah, you're right. Finally, the independents. Mostly people in settlements too small and too insignificant for the big factions to care about. However, I have heard stories of big colonies. I remember when I was studying Void energy, between Project Nullifier and the active research gig. You'd hear these news about an invasion fleet being prepared against the infidels on some planet or another. Interviews, holos, that sort of thing, all over a week. How dare they pollute valuable space near the terraformation towers with their presence, when we could do the exact same thing, but in the name of Profit? Then, the invasion date comes, and... nothing. The propaganda machine would just move on to the next big thing.
> 
> -My position on Larunda has given me a different perspective on these invasions. The Corpus propaganda teams were building a story that their audiences could connect to. Through that, they hoped, the veneration of Profit and the Corpus way of life would rise. Sadly, the Tenno do not have an ounce of appreciation for storytelling conventions. Turns out, "and then Tenno raids wiped out the entire fleet in a matter of hours, made off with valuable tactical data, and converted several Tech-Commanders to their side" is a solid 2/10 ending for most literary critics.
> 
> -In any event, it would seem the Lotus sends out numerous cells to make sure that major settlements stay free. There are a few which could defend themselves on their own before the Tenno awakening, but they generally had major trade links with one of the two greater factions, or happened to be part of the Syndicates. The independent civilians vary wildly, with different colonies having different ideologies, and conflict between them has not been unheard of. These colonies are where the majority of people on the Relays come from.

* * *

> > **_Question 7_ **
>> 
>> Did you hear about the "Silver Grove" incident, during which we discovered the designs for Titania? What do you think about the non-tenno transference? For that matter, what makes Tenno special with regards to transference?
>> 
>> I know you (probably) can't just dissect a Tenno (and wouldn't get much out of it, even if you did, except maybe a laser to the face), but do you have any theories?
>> 
>> Relatedly, do you know why the Tenno came back from the void with our consciousnesses mostly intact (and fancy new powers), as opposed to everyone else who is completely taken over, and slaved to the void - pretty much just becoming zombies?
>> 
>> Operator **fwyrl**
> 
> First off, yes, I have been briefed on the incident while I was doing my analysis on the Stalker. Back with the Corpus, I honestly thought that the incident was some sort of a false rumour you were spreading.
> 
> Well, as it would later show, people getting their minds stuck in trees is not too far fetched for Transference. I really can't give a satisfactory answer to your other two questions. My education was focused on the practical applications of Void energy, and not the parallel plane of existence that is the Void itself. There really isn't any word for it but "insane". Or, maybe "babbling". Actually, "stupid" is the word. Stupidly dangerous, and stupid in behaviour.
> 
> The Orokin seemingly found a lot of insight into its nature, but almost all of it seems to have been lost with the empire's collapse. If memory of my Commander training serves me well, a lot of the data related to the Void was purposefully deleted by the various Archimedians. I cannot tell if it was a safety measure, a Zariman scenario, or something more sinister. I'll leave Cordylon to ponder over those questions.

* * *

> > **_Question 8_ **
>> 
>> Once again, Kaiathas, you present an informative log. It is very true that Chroma is a highly complex warframe, with unusual qualities- though one must wonder why the Archimedians didn't make use of the Vex Armor adaptability to allow for elemental alteration mid-mission, which would seem to be relatively simple, since all systems are maintained while in use. Perhaps we could create an Augment to fix their shortsighted decisions- but, yes, we were to ask questions, not debate or dialogue.
>> 
>> A simple one, actually; if you were to create a Tenno squad, of four differing warframes, for a point defense mission in a hostile environment- say, Europa, or a highly irradiated area- Which, exactly, would you choose?
>> 
>> This simple question may seem a digression, but as a researcher of our weaponry your opinion would be both valuable and insightful as to any bias you yourself may have regarding these matters, aiding us in interpreting the data you give.
>> 
>> Thank you for your service, and may your Dera always headshot.
>> 
>> Operator **_Wittykitty_** , Agent of the Lotus and Friend to Cephalons.
> 
> An odd question. Most of my experience with Warframes can be put into two categories: wetting myself over the possibility of getting killed by one, and wetting myself over the possibility of one rising up and killing me with the lab's surgical lasers.
> 
> If someone forced me to pick a four Tenno Warframe squad, the first thing I'd try to do would be to weasel out of the opportunity if reasonable. Such things tend to lead me to... statistically probable death. After some blackmail, threats, or whatever contrivance the universe would throw at me to force me into harm's way, I suppose I'd pick the most robust Warframes I know of: Inaros, Frost, Excalibur, and Trinity.
> 
> The first three are very unlikely to suffer a catastrophic failure, and Trinity can provide battlefield repairs in order to prevent attritional damage. Plus, she'd be able to heal me once I inevitably ended up fighting alongside such a squad.

* * *

> > **_Question 9_ **
>> 
>> Hello! Long time follower, I've been wondering where consigned Kavats end up. I know the Relays contain Kubrow kernels, but I've seen no mention of any space for Kavats.
>> 
>> On an unrelated note, is there any chance of a research report on some of the more complex enemies the Tenno face, such as the new model of Ospreys found on Europa, or Nef Anyo's revitalized Bursa project, or even the Juggernaut?
>> 
>> Operator **Lord_Dust_Bunny**
> 
> -As someone who has been known to occasionally go to a Kubrow kennel and relieve my nerves, I can answer this with the authority of a man who has pet a hundred of the furry creatures. Kavats have their section in the kennels, but the section is usually quite empty; the Tenno do not consign as many Kavats as they do Kubrows, and the animals in questions are highly popular amongst Syndicates and other such organisations, so the Kavats very rarely stay in the kennels for long. I'm not sure why. Kubrows are obviously the furrier, superior choice.
> 
> _-But the Kavats are so graceful and lovely and..._
> 
> -You know, I ought to fire you right now for such opinions, Selva.
> 
> _-What? I..._
> 
> -Just joking, relax. As for your second question, Tenno, it's a matter of money. Say, if you want me to analyse such a creature, send funds to <<REDACTED>>. Or, better yet, don't. I'm not too confident with my chances against a Bursa.

* * *

> > **_Question 10_ **
>> 
>> I am a Tenno of very basic tastes so I'm sure none of these will be surprising. in order of desire to have an answer.
>> 
>> Had a chance to see the Limbo Rework in action, and if so any thoughts?
>> 
>> Am I a horrible human being (or possibly void imprint of one? I always felt like Vor accidentally'd the same stunt we did with his whole turning into Monologue Prime) for making a Helminth Charger? I cannot fault Waffles's performance in the field, but... I squirted a cyst from my warframe into the breeding chamber a Kubrow Egg was in without any real idea what would happen.
>> 
>> Also I have heard rumors through the void Oberon will be getting a rework. I hope it turns out good. Mine has seven Forma.
>> 
>> Operator **_Marrik_**
> 
> I am not too sure what did you mean by Monologue Prime, but I have heard of Helminth Chargers. Rosidea has been all over them. Apparently, they are the product of a specialized Technocyte strain, and they require a Kubrow egg to work. The descriptions of the Chargers sounded very pleasant, but Rosidea is the kind of woman who calls Infested Ancients "cute in their own little squishy way", so I take her words with a grain of salt.
> 
> I haven't had the chance to see one of them in the flesh, but I am fairly sure Helminth Chargers are perfectly morally acceptable, if not so visually. Kubrow eggs are taken unfertilized, and only through severe genetic modification provided by a "breeding chamber", as you call it, can the domesticated Kubrow breeds be achieved. The Technocyte strain can be seen as an variant method.
> 
> If you are still not sure, keep in mind that the Tenno Kavats are also incubated with Kubrow eggs. If making a completely different species of animal from a Kubrow egg is okay to you, then so should this be.
> 
> Wish I could say the Limbo wasn't a moral abomination, too. I kid, but, in all seriousness, the data indicated that the Warframe is performing a lot better now. Unfortunately, he is still just as fragile.

* * *

> > **_Question 11_ **
>> 
>> Hello there Kaiathas! Before I ask anything, I wish to thank you for you and your team's endeavors to provide us with more info on how our frames actually function.
>> 
>> Now then... Quite recently we Tenno (and I hope for convenience of the upcoming question relating to this, you have had clearance to watch it aswell) got to view a decrypted older Orokin message, a video feed of a Valkyr Prime on a mission, accompanied by Executor Ballas monologuing over it as he usually does in these transmissions.
>> 
>> However, in said feed, we get to see some crewmen take a type of... Battery or core container and put it into a machine, producing what appeared to be the outline of a Sentient, from which a sort of beam then fired that seemed to either paralyze the Valkyr, or possibly interfered with the transference between it and its operator.
>> 
>> As it was made known to us that before you became our ally you were a part of Project Nullifier, my question is as follows: have you seen or heard anything about this technology beyond what we can currently only guess at, due to your possible involvement with Corpus R&D?
>> 
>> Regardless of this question, thank you once more for your time and effort in all you've done, and may your Prova continue to pacify your enemies permanently.
>> 
>> Silver Dragon **_Skaoi_** , ballistics enthusiast.
> 
> I cannot say I have seen the video you speak of, but I believe I have access to the raw data. I certainly remember a speech by Ballas from back when I was working on a Valkyr. My guess is that it is some sort of an briefing edited together for the convenience of Tenno operatives.
> 
> The device you speak of... well, actually, let's start from the beginning. If you were to look up Project Heavenly Emperor in a Board-tier data repository, you would see a lot of different subprojects. The Nullifier backpack that eventually went into production is one of them, as is the new drone-based variation that was probably introduced to cut costs.
> 
> Now, our particular blackout site was technically only supposed to know about the subproject it was working on itself, but word has a way of getting around. A chatty egghead here, a buckethead scheduled for redeployment there, a bit of surreptitious leaning of walls, and you have a good old-fashioned rumour mill going. Therefore, I did hear about the Sentient experiments. I couldn't tell you how successful they were, but word on the grapevine was that the eggheads on that facility were really nervous about something.
> 
> The Orokin went out of their way to control all data related to the Sentients, either by protecting it using elaborate deathtraps, or by wiping it out with the kind of extreme fervor instructors on Neptune would shed a single tear for. Mind you, you were lucky to run into deathtraps; there are old tales of lifetraps. Ever wished for eternal life? You wouldn't after one of those. Anyway, I digress.
> 
> The point is, data on the Sentients is kept on a strictly need-to-know basis, as I established in an earlier question. Therefore, I can't tell you anything about the mechanisms of the device you describe.

* * *

> > **_Question 12_ **
>> 
>> Hi Kaiathas. I was wondering, which planet would you like to go on for a vacation? So a week without stress and chaos of your regular life. You can ignore the presence of Corpus, Grineer and Infested. Any place at all.
>> 
>> Operator **_DarkMayhem_**
> 
> If I was somehow able to ignore everything trying to kill me for a week, I would be in paradise, regardless of the planet I was on. That probably isn't a satisfying answer, is it?
> 
> I don't have a lot of on-world experience. I spent most of my life on space stations, so my knowledge of good spots is... spotty. However, that being said, I have always wanted to find a nice, safe, warm place on Earth. The few memories of my parents speak of the planet in a good light, and I want to see it for myself, without freezing my dangly bits off at heights usually reserved for clouds.
> 
> Europa doesn't sound too bad, either, come to think of it, but there's the problem that the planet is a frozen wasteland as soon as you get any significant distance from the terraformation towers. Well, that, and there's the whole business with the crashed Obelisk chunks littering most of the satellite.

* * *

> > **_Question 13_ **
>> 
>> Hello Mr. Kahn!
>> 
>> If you had to use a Tenno weapon instead of what you have (Dera and Prova Vandal), then what'd you use? My personal picks would be Braton Prime and Dakra Prime/Broken War (if you could get your hands on that thing, the bloody blueprint never drops. If you would, though, I'd be happy to provide a certain special mod for it).
>> 
>> Are you planning on visiting a Void tower? Those things are really beautiful, once you get past all of the blood and guts of the corrupted.
>> 
>> Did you ever see a Tenno Reservoir? Or even visit Lua at all, at that point? If not, I think you definitely should. Just... don't try to kill a Sentient with your Prova. It will NOT end well without Maple around.
>> 
>> Gold Disciple **_Daniel_** , Clan GentlemanZ.
> 
> I have already outlined my views on Orokin Towers, which is to say that I should never view them in my life. As for Lua, there is the whole Sentient problem. If something that created the Neural Sentries was afraid of the Sentients, I really don't see a reason not to share that opinion. That healthy, life-prolonging opinion.
> 
> That leaves your first question, and the answer is probably a Braton variant backed with that poisonous Tenno machete whose name eludes me, but I'd try to stick to my old weapons if at all possible.
> 
> I have had some practice with the Braton, and the machete looks like it handles the most like my Prova, compared to the other killing implements of the Tenno arsenal. True, there are options that are significantly more powerful, but there are two main reasons for my choices: first, I have practiced with my Dera and Prova since far before any of you woke up, and second, Tenno weaponry is made for Warframes. In other words, they are generally heavier than a broker's regret, and they absolutely aren't meant for unaugmented human use. My exosuit could probably take the strain, but I don't like to be dependent on it any more than I strictly have to.
> 
> This is a shame, since I have been thinking of getting a sidearm, but I haven't been able to find something with the right combination of weight, power, and ammo capacity on Larunda. Some kind of a pulse laser weapon would be perfect, but, alas, no such designs seem to be in mass production right now. Actually... hold for a second.
>
>> -Aaargh, you little piece of shit, not today!
>> 
>> -Ugh... gah...
>> 
>> -...
>> 
>> -Can you get him a bit closer, Selva? Thank you... oh, are we still doing the poisoned tooth trick? It has been a while since I saw that! Well, Tenno, what we have here is someone who thought it would be a good idea to use an invisibility field near a Fog Scrambus! Please, tell the good people here who you are.
>> 
>> **-...**
>> 
>> -Oh, the silent, brooding type? Shame your footsteps weren't so quiet. Reckon he's a merc like you, Selva?
>> 
>> _-Not like me. I am smart. He is not. Who hired you?_
>> 
>> **-...**
>> 
>> -Well, he obviously wasted some good credits, didn't he? They could have been a cup of coffee, or even a nice chunk of Martian Jellyfish! Actually, who am I kidding, someone who walks into Fog fields and expects to be all sneaky isn't worth half a ration of nutrigel. Selva, get a pair of greysuits and drag his ass to the cellblocks. Cordylon will love this guy.
>> 
>> -...good, he's out of earshot. Bastard scared the crap out of me. Good thing I had Selva around, that could have went a lot worse. That dagger looked like it was modded for shield penetration... I suppose it's back to the questions, isn't it? Damn it, I'll need to see who would want to send an assassin on the Relay after me. By the Void, who even knows I'm here? That's the main security feature I was banking on. At least you have to be suicidal to pull off something like this... Cordylon better give me a raise, if nothing else.

* * *

> > **_Question 14_ **
>> 
>> What are your thoughts about Void tears and have you ever experienced one, or its aftereffects?
>> 
>> Operator **_Inuma_**
> 
> As a matter of fact, I have, back on Project Nullifier. These tears happen when large scale, uncontrolled Void energy reactions happen. What generally happens is that unstable portals into the Void open up, "ground" themselves on the nearest Orokin Tower, and then the Neural Sentry lays waste to the surrounding area.
> 
> It's a hazard of Void energy research, and, with proper care, they are fairly harmless. The tear I experienced resulted in quick evacuation of all personnel and data, followed by a kill team mowing down the few Corrupted that showed up. Unfortunately, a lot of business owners think providing means of evacuation cuts into their profits, then come cry to their shareholders once a tear happens, corrupts half of their workforce, and prompts an even more aggressive reaction from the Sentry. Idiots couldn't see Profit if I drew a green line on a graph. That's generally the point when the Tenno run in, open their relics, and give the owners the kind of losses they bloody well deserve.

* * *

> > **_Question 15_ **
>> 
>> Hello, Mr. Kahn. Big fan of your work on these reports - I always find it fascinating to know how our Warframes work beneath the surface.
>> 
>> I look forward to the day you get an Ash to look into; mine sees a lot of use, and though some of his functions might look obvious on the surface, these reports are proof that even the simplest of Warframes have a lot going on under the skin. I'd love to learn more about it. Actually, I think I might have a spare somewhere around here if you take donations for your work...
>> 
>> ...but that's a different subject. Apologies; I get off track rather frequently. Anyways, on to my question.
>> 
>> I was curious as to whether or not you had a least favorite Warframe to work with in the field, and if you could provide any context as to why this is the case. I always like to adjust my kit to the people around me, and I work with the Syndicates a fair bit. Knowing what kinds of Warframes might cause discomfort to our allies would be useful information to me, so that I can avoid irritating the people assigned to a mission with me.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> 
>> Silver Dragon **_Fenrys_** , noted Claws enthusiast
> 
> Lots of enthusiasts among the Tenno... well, a situation where I work with a Warframe is a situation I already deeply loathe, because it generally means something has gone horribly wrong.
> 
> However, in the interest in fairness, I'll just say Frost and Ember are the most unpleasant Warframes to work with, based on the stories I have heard from some of my colleagues. Although their IFF systems are as reliable as any other, Frost seriously lowers the surrounding temperatures, while Ember does the reverse, and there's no system that can prevent that. Well, except if some lucky bastard got their hands on one of the fancy climate-regulating exosuits, but those are rarer than a safe investment.
> 
> Mind you, most people are really happy to work with a Warframe. Keep the operatives safe, don't run into radiation clouds, and they'll be ecstatic to fight along with you, even if they can cook eggs on their armour.

* * *

> > **_Question 16_ **
>> 
>> Always glad to see another report from you Kaiathas. Try to stay safe, as much as you can.
>> 
>> As for some questions:
>> 
>>   * What is the original purpose of the unique Moa model that is released from hackable Moa cabinets?
>>   * What is your opinion on the [redacted]?
>>   * Oh, and Kubrow or Kavat, which would you rather have as a pet and which as a combat companion?
>> 

>> 
>> Silver Dragon **Silens Phoenix** , Grand Arbiter, Arbiters of Decretum
> 
> Redacted? Wonder what Cordylon wanted to hide. Oh well. I already answered my take on the superior quadruped, and Selva is not around to argue. Concerning bipeds, specifically the Moas you speak of, they really aren't special models.
> 
> If you can hack them, that means that the proxies are undergoing scheduled maintenance, and the Board forced the glowing energy stripes so the bucketheads know to return them into the cabinets if they have to prematurely release them. You'd be surprised how many Moas collapsed mid-fight due to idiots forgetting to do this. I should know that, it happened to me once. The Tech-Sergeant gave me the kind of ribbing even the "good" "folks" on Neptune would applaud at.
> 
> Carrying a dead Moa on my back for a week straight was not fun.

* * *

> > **_Question 17_ **
>> 
>> Hello. Mr. Kahn, first, let me thank you for all the work you and your team have done to better our understanding of the Warframes, and about this Viridin fellow... Well, i'm sure many of us can relate to that (what happened in the Zariman was NOT pretty, i'm certain many of our brothers and sisters did more than their share of atrocities in order to survive... They didn't deserve it, no one did... ), but back the matter at hand:
>> 
>> What exactly is public the opinion of the Tenno? I was always curious to know what the civilians think of us.
>> 
>> By the way... If you happen to come across a girl called Neewa while on the Relay... Tell her that the Tenno will always be there for her.
>> 
>> Warmest regards: Operator **_[REDACTED]vick_** , grappling hook enthusiast.
> 
> Well, Redactedvick, it all depends on how much you buy into the propaganda. The Corpus have done an excellent job at convincing the general populace that you are the Betrayers, destroyers of progress, butchers of the Orokin, and walking harbingers of death, destruction, and lost credit chits. I should know. I bought into those stories for a while.
> 
> I imagine the Grineer attempt to do something similar, but considering their treatment of the slave populace, I don't imagine it being as effective as the Corpus propaganda teams. Selva once told me something about you all being practically worshiped by the civilians of a colony on Mercury, but I'm not sure about the details.
> 
> The people who know the truth see you either as heroes, or, barring that, someone to stay friendly with. Even on the Relays, where you can just hop down to the Concourse to see the Warframes, the people speak of you with a bit of awe. I cannot imagine what the situation on the colonies the Tenno do not visit is like.

* * *

> Well, that's it as far as questions are concerned. Hope Cordy is happy with the results. Anyway, time to head over to the lab and see what's in store for today. Kaiathas, out... or not. Something urgent, apparently... oh this day just keeps getting better and better, and I actually mean it for once!
> 
> Kaiathas, running off to the labs!
> 
> * * *
> 
> Honourable Tenno, some of you may be aware of the chain of events that led me to a position as an archivist. Our allies with the clearance to view these files certainly do, but, for the less informed, one of the key events that led me to this point was me managing to completely neutralise a Zephyr Warframe with a well-placed Prova hit. As fate would have it, the Warframe and I have met again.
> 
> Zephyr can be distinguished by the sharp, feather-like shapes on her chassis and an impressive codpiece, and this particular model still has an very distinct dent right below it. There is no mistaking it; I had the Prova in question ready for comparative analysis. The reason my team and I had to repair her didn't have anything to do with groin injuries, however, as she was delivered to us after a Void Sabotage mission gone foul. Cephalon Cordylon has asked me to remind the Tenno operatives reading this that Corrupted Strun models are nothing to be laughed at, especially when using a Warframe model with armour thickness more commonly seen in food containers than killing machines.
> 
> It must be stated that I do not carry any ill will towards the Operator of this Zephyr, and I hope they think the same of me. I have absolutely not shirked my responsibilities and expressly ordered for the Prova dent not to be repaired. I most certainly did not hit the Warframe a couple more times in inconvenient places, either. That would be petty and completely unprofessional.
> 
> My past aside, Zephyr is a Warframe with limited, but existent documentation. Data recovered from high-security Orokin Towers suggests that a model with significant aerial mobility was desired by the Seven, and Zephyr was the response to their orders. There were several different prototypes focusing on different aspects of this request, and an approach based on Oxium and Oxium alloys proved to be the right combination of effectiveness, ease of use, and ease of manufacture.
> 
> As a result, Zephyr is an incredibly light Warframe, with most of her internals and externals being composed of pure Oxium, with very limited alloy use. Compare and contrast this with Vauban Prime, who requires massive amounts of the alloyed material just to have an acceptable weight due to his advanced foundry systems. This lightness necessitated certain unusual measures from my team for an effective repair, as the Zephyr was far too easily moved by the slightest force exerted over her.
> 
> Surprisingly, this model has fairly robust internals. Her ability systems are simple for a Warframe of her era, and there are a number of redundant and vestigial systems in the mass-produced model. Sadly, the robust construction is not backed by robust armour, and Zephyr is a common guest of our labs, with the most common repair work being done on the relatively fragile chassis.
> 
> Any Syndicate operatives and other combat personnel fighting alongside Zephyr are advised to try and keep as close to her as possible. Although her mobility might make this a daunting task, the projectile deflection of her Turbulence ability easily offsets any fatigue caused by trying to keep up with the Warframe. Also, be advised that minor electromagnetic interference on friendly electronic devices is to be expected, and shouldn't cause any major issues if they have been properly maintained. If they haven't been, expect a shocking reminder of the importance of proper battlefield repair work.
> 
>   * After our work on Chroma, Zephyr's abilities have been a breeze for the team, if you will excuse the pun. Nothing quite exemplifies this like her simplest two abilities, Tailwind and Dive Bomb, which actually use the same ability system. Zephyr's chassis conceals many ventilation openings, and, with the use of Void energy, wind powerful enough to fling the Warframe around the battlefield is created. Thanks to her lightness, this is a very easy feat to achieve. The only reason Dive Bomb is considered a separate ability comes from early combat trials of the prototype Zephyr. Numerous operators that controlled the Warframe found it difficult to stop their movement after using Tailwind, which lead to inadequate combat performance. Because of this, a Tail Wind with its direction calculated to cancel any forward momentum was designated as Dive Bomb, and our logs indicate that this solved the problem at hand.
> 
>   * This might seem like a strange issue to freshly awakened Tenno, who are accustomed to the mobility of the modern Warframe, but Bullet Jump and similar applications of the Warframe locomotory systems are a development that seems to have been made well after the first Tenno reawakened four years ago. It is my understanding that some Tenno operatives have been asking for Zephyr to be brought up to the modern age, so to speak, and there is certainly potential for improvement, especially if the alternative Zephyr prototype designs can be rediscovered. At any rate, an augmentation module for Dive Bomb has been developed, which uses some of the kinetic energy from Zephyr's violent collision with the ground to create a localised vacuum, which drags in anyone not prepared for it (read: anyone whose exosuits and exosuit alternatives aren't communicating with the Zephyr's IFF module).
> 
>   * Turbulence is yet another application of Void energy-created wind, with strong gusts being created to deflect any projectiles categorised as hostile close to the Warframe. With some additional calculations, these gusts can also be used to make the movement of nearby allied forces easier, and that is precisely what the Jet Stream augmentation module does. However, more experienced Tenno operatives might be wondering: why does Turbulence take up so much more energy than her first two abilities? That is a good question, but the question you should really be asking is: how in the Void is moving air supposed to deflect bullets and plasma projectiles? The answer is that it isn't. Well, actually, in theory, you could create wind powerful enough to do this. In practice, you'd have a lot more problems if you were to do so, not the least of which is the exorbitant energy cost. No, what Zephyr does is that she backs the winds with strong, localised bursts of ionized air. Fortunately, pretty much every projectile fast enough to ignore wind is magnetic, and the system is effective... to a point, as many Tenno operatives fighting the Grineer will tell you. Turbulence can only steer the bullets up to a point, and something aimed squarely at center mass is not going to veer too far off target. One last note: just as enemy projectiles can be deflected, friendly ones can be accelerated, and Jet Stream also provides the calculations needed for this.
> 
>   * In the great tradition of "panic button" abilities, Tornado is something best used when a Tenno feels as if they are about to suffer a whole lot of pain. Magnetically-backed maelstroms pick up anyone designated as a threat to Zephyr, and fling them around the battlefield. As testing has shown, high velocity aerial travel is not something the average Crewman is accustomed to, and the ability provides a powerful method of crowd control. Lethal damage can be achieved, too, as the tornados created by... Tornado can absorb friendly projectiles to change their nature based on the elemental modules equipped on the weapon that fired them. The weapon itself doesn't actually help to achieve this effect, as the tornados can, in theory, change their element at will. This is achieved with elemental weapon modules located within Zephyr and adapted to Warframe technology. Rather, the projectiles fired serve as a means of remote control, so to speak. Because of that, the same effect can be achieved with Warframe abilities and even melee strikes. An augmentation module exists for this ability, too, and it reconfigures the tornados created to be lesser in power, but far more numerous. As this makes the ability lose its crowd control potential, our data indicates that this is not a popular choice amongst the Tenno.
> 
> 

> 
> Zephyr was a product of the later age of Warframe development, where the terror of the Old War was being pushed out by a desire to return to the old, elegant days of the Empire. Warframe development followed suit, and practical designs were superseded by over engineered systems which achieved results, true, but in far too complicated manners. Initially, I expected Zephyr to be reminiscent of Nekros in that regard, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a simple Warframe designed with purpose, with room for improvement and iteration. I've heard my Tech-Sergeant on Viver once say: _"The changing winds bring Profit and ruin in equal measure"_. He was an oddly philosophical man for an indoctrinee, and I'm sure the winds here were metaphorical, but Tenno, you have the means to control the literal winds, so may they bring you Profit.
> 
> With utmost respect,
> 
>  ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer
> 
> * * *
>
>> > _-Assassin Zet-5, your twenty minutes for situation assessment have passed. Are you certain you wish to remain silent?_
>>> 
>>> **-...**
>>> 
>>> _-How strange. Most prisoners that share your occupation choose to shout ineffectual insults at me. For some reason, they always seem to concern placing the cubes that make up my visual representation in various organic orifices. Do they not know I do not have biological functions that necessitate them? I do not need a special object to procreate, either. Would you like to expand my data files on this issue?_
>>> 
>>> **-...**
>>> 
>>> _-Very well. I am to inform you your ransom has been put at 53.67 credits, and notice of your capture has been delivered to your last known employer, one Varalik Vern. This sum has been based on a very reliable data source, and the probability that he will pay your ransom fees is statistically negligible. Once the transaction is refused, I believe you will find your current course of action unjustified. I must return to my other duties. Goodbye for now._
>>> 
>>> **-!!!**
> 
> * * *
>
>> > _-Operator, Zet-5 has been captured by the Tenno. They request a sum of 53.67 credits as ransom for his safe return._
>>> 
>>> -They know it's me? The pathetic sack of meat must have talked! He can rot in that cell forever for all I care, he's useless like you, and he's getting what the useless deserve, Bardin.
>>> 
>>> _-Very well, Captain. Moran and Vahk Vol have also decided to contact you regarding the assignment Zet-5 was sent out on. They believe they can perform your tasks more adequately._
>>> 
>>> -The Twins... yes, I see how that could work. Those Burstons they have are wonderful pieces of machinery, and I suppose the people using them are competent enough. Same orders for them, but tell them to take the Scrambus alive, if at all possible. I want to see him squirm...
> 
> * * *


	20. Ash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/6dv016/research_report_ash/

 

>  
>
>> -...These are our employer's demands. Do not attempt to trace this message.
>> 
>> - _Or do! You will only waste your, hehehe, tiiime._
>> 
>> -Captain Varalik is a reasonable man. We are not. Do not dawdle. We have some good ideas to remove that Fog helmet, but it would be so much _easier_ for everyone if you complied.
>> 
>> - _Heee. He heee he. A ha heeeeee... gh... heeeeee!_
> 
> So, Selva's been kidnapped on Larunda, two psychopaths are making outlandish demands, and it all comes back to an ego so big, it has natural satellites. Such a lovely way to start the day. And, of course, the vid comes up on the main screen of the lab. Thanks, Cordylon. They really needed to see that.
> 
> At least her helmet is still on.
> 
>  
>
>> - _Technocyte antidote? I think we can actually pull that one off now! Oh, Takil would have really used that back in the day, you know? It's such a shame those cutesies are so dangerous._
>> 
>> - **The** **_Infestation_** **antidote is one thing, but thirty billion credits in one credit chits is something else entirely, Rosidea.**
>> 
>> - _Bron, silly, you keep forgetting that Technocyte is the virus, and..._
>> 
>> -...the first one of you to start _that_ argument all over again is getting biological waste disposal for the next month.
> 
> The two kidnappers were, as we used to say back on Viver, shorting their own stocks. They weren't actually expecting anything from this ransom. Now, what was Varalik's game here? The question hung upon my mind. He must have known that the Tenno would soon descend upon him like a sack of rectangular building things. His chances of keeping Selva for any prolonged amount of time are essentially nonexistent.
> 
> So, what do you do with her? Try to get some data? No, there are ways of getting Tenno-related info without a suicide mission. The only reason someone like Varalik would do this is a thirst for vengeance and a disturbing lack of thirst for friends. I'll be the first to admit that I am a right bastard, but I'd never send people to attack someone on Larunda. It's just a pointless waste of life that does not benefit anyone.
> 
> Cordylon said that he'd have a Tenno cell ready in about twenty four hours, due to necessity for data collection and analysis. It's also the first time I actually saw that thing apologise to someone. Now, I'd normally be content to let the Tenno do their work and stay safe at the Relay, thinking of ways how I can milk the situation for all it's worth once Selva's back, but the lab crew added a bit of a problem here. I am Kaiathas Kahn, destroyer of Moas, saviour of a Tenno, John Prodman's mortal cousin... it's a reputation which is too useful to throw away.
> 
> I must admit, there was also a part of me confused by what happened to Selva. Sure, the helmet disrupted nearby cameras, but there was absolutely nothing indicating what exactly happened to her. How did this happen? Good fighters like that don't just disappear. So, I hatched a plan.
> 
> If I had only known what was waiting for me, I would have ran for the nearest outgoing shuttle to assume a false identity as a helium miner until all this blew over.
> 
>  
>
>> -Ladies, gentlemen, one of our own is missing, and we cannot allow that. Cordylon says the Tenno are on the way, but I think we might be able to help them on their way. I suggest we look for clues. One does not simply vanish off of Larunda. Rosidea, Takil, Bron, and... Dahko, was it? The Grineer?
>> 
>> - ** _Yes, commander!_**
>> 
>> -Not anymore I am not, but the enthusiasm _is_ appreciated. Last time I saw Selva, he was off to get some work done on his armour. You lot, wait for me at the entrance. Let's show the Tenno how it's done, eh? Rest of you, we have an Ash to work on, so get to it!
> 
> A very pleasing cheer erupted from the rest of the lab, yet again reinforcing my undeserved reputation. Now, this amount of effort might seem out of character. The idea was to put on the impression of giving an effort... and lead Rosidea and Bron on a wild goose chase. Last time we had that particular etymology argument, we didn't get any work done for a solid hour on account of the broken lab equipment. Takil's inseparable from Rosidea, and, as for Dahko? I didn't want to risk the two nutters trying something with me too, and Dahko's stature taps into the part of the brain responsible for spear chucking calculations and oversized predator avoidance. Apparently, he is one of Tyl Regor's clone creations, born with a very fortunate defect. The twenty Lancers he went through to get to the Tenno must have thought quite the opposite. Good mind for tissue analysis, too.
> 
> My digressions aside, the first stop for my motley crew was Karget's Salubrious Smithing. Not the most appropriate adjective for a metalworking shop, true, but he likes the sound of the word, and he does exceptional work. Selva has him repair and replace the custom armour plates on her Scrambus suit, and I've seen just how effective they were back on Europa. As we entered the little alcove that made up the shop, Dahko suddenly jerked at the sight of Karget.
> 
>  
>
>> - ** _Bambard Dahko grah, Kam... sorry, commander, instinct took over for a second._**
> 
> Karget is not too much unlike Dahko; indeed, I'd say they were created from the same clone pattern. However, the heavily armoured Grineer before us was simply bigger, in every sense of the word I can think of. As he slowly turned to face us, the clanking of his armour plates invoked visions of lightning and rockslides. My past with the Grineer didn't help, and I'd be visibly unnerved if I didn't have my helmet on at the time.
> 
> Scaring off one's customers is not a good idea unless you run a horror sim, and Karget usually had a odd, twitchy man to do the talking for him. However, he was nowhere to be seen at the time, and the Grineer smith slowly walked up to Dahko. It gave me enough time to compose myself.
> 
>  
>
>> -Fᴀɴᴏᴅ, Dᴀʜᴋᴏ. Aʀ-ᴋɪ-ᴠɪsᴛ Kᴀʜɴ, ᴡʜʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ?
>> 
>> -Have you seen Selva today, Karget? He said he'd come over to you.
>> 
>> -Sᴇʟᴠᴀ? Rᴇᴘᴀɪʀs. Uᴘɢʀᴀᴅᴇs. Pʟᴀsᴛɪᴅ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴀʀᴍᴏᴜʀ, ɪɴ-sʏᴜ-ʟᴀɪ-ᴛᴇʜᴅ ɢᴀᴜɴᴛʟᴇᴛs. Pᴀɪᴅ ᴡᴇʟʟ. Rᴇʟɪᴀʙʟᴇ.
>> 
>> -Why would he want plastid underarmour, of all things?
>> 
>> - **Ooh, I know this one, boss. Remember Mesa's carapace? Independent Jupiter colonies have been producing a similar design for close-quarters combat, and it's really good for sharp stuff. They put it on Serro workers, you know.**
>> 
>> Thank you, Bron. So, Karget, know where he went off after he visited you?
>> 
>> -Hᴜɴɢᴇʀ. Sᴀɪᴅ... ᴘᴏᴜᴄʜᴇs.
>> 
>> -I know the place. Thank you. Those twins will wish they gave _us_ the three billion after we find them.
> 
> Apparent zeal reinforced, we set off to floor -1, where a peculiar little food shop was located. Larunda is a massive place, and the time it took us to get from one end to another gave me time to think. As my entourage idly chattered about various types of combat armour, I turned the facts of Selva's disappearance over and over in my head.
> 
> One does not simply disappear from Larunda. There are greysuit patrols all over the place, and the few of them I met at the shooting range are exceptionally competent shots, which implies that they are the cream of the crop of the Lotus' mortal armies. Selva was preparing for a fight, that much was apparent, and she's smart enough to stick within earshot of support if she is expecting an ambush.
> 
> I was baffled. As keen as I was on letting the Tenno do the heavy work, my attempt to keep up my reputation was morphing into a genuine interest, and for that matter, concern. After all, if something like that happened to an experienced mercenary in a Scrambus suit, what hope did I have?
> 
> Well, a lot, probably. Selva is good, but she doesn't know about the syandana trick, or the Two-Shot Patooie, or the Neptunian Egg Cracker. From experience, most victims of the latter move would rather that they didn't know of it, either. But I didn't get to where I was now by putting myself in harm's way. The universe is good enough at doing that as is.
> 
> Several elevator rides later, we arrived at our destination. The Carrot Prime is hard to miss: a garish orange deco stands out like a gunless Moa from its Tenno-grey surroundings. It is a 24 hour fast food store, much like the ones that can be found on every station in the Origin system, but what makes it stand out from the competition is the sheer variety of the comestibles it offers; up until Selva dragged me to it, I have never seen a Martian Oasis Jellyfish kebab being sold next to Lanxburgers.
> 
> There's a reason for this, of course. Tenno raids often recover food shipments, and, from experience with Maple, I can tell you they have no use of them for themselves. Instead, food is supplied to syndicates and colonies in need, and any leftovers are sold at reasonable rates to allied entrepreneurs, in a scheme similar to Darvo's organisation. As a result, Larunda has some of the rarest foodstuffs in the system, and I have been happy to stuff myself with them. I just wish they actually sold carrots, whatever those might be.
> 
> Selva liked the place for its sandwich line, which she would stuff in some of her numerous pouches for later use. I am still not sure what sorcery she uses to consume them through a hermetically-sealed helmet, but she did, and The Golden Carrot was her obvious destination. Upon entering the establishment, I saw a familiar youth in the restaurant's uniform, and I decided to take the opportunity to boost my reputation further.
> 
>  
>
>> -Hello, Ramir! Can I take up some of your valuable time?
> 
> People like the sound of their name, and Ramir's eyes lit up as he heard me. He practically ran to meet my party and I.
> 
>  
>
>> **_-Mr. Kahn! Oh, right, uhhh... welcome to Carrot Prime, because plain Carrots just aren't enough, mayItakeyourorder?_ **
>> 
>> -Noth...
>> 
>> - _Two number fives, a number three, a Lanxburger, and two fruit juices for the four of us, what about you, boss?_
> 
> They probably worked it out while I was thinking. I was a bit surprised, but I was damned if I was going to let anyone see that.
> 
>  
>
>> -I'll have a number one, and some questions for you, Ramir. Talk is cheap, isn't it?
>> 
>> - ** _Oh... of course, for the man who, uhhh... did you really knock out an assassin with your bare hands?_**
>> 
>> -I had help.
>> 
>> - ** _Right... uhh... so, you had a question, sir?_**
>> 
>> - **Boss wanted to ask you if you've seen Selva anywhere, isn't that right?**
>> 
>> -...thank you, Bron, that was indeed my question.
> 
> The waste disposal random generator is not going to be so random once I get back to work, I swear in the name of Profit.
> 
>  
>
>> - ** _Mister Zinik came here just as I started the shift, sir. He got his, uhh... usual order, and he mentioned needing to go to the... you know, his spaceship place? I can't remember the word, but why do you ask, isheokay?_**
>> 
>> -He will be after we are done with this, trust me, Ramir. Thank you kindly.
>> 
>> - ** _No problem, sir!_** can't believe he thanked me oh my stars
> 
> Nothing to shed light on the situation, just another breadcrumb, and the more literal breadcrumbs associated with the consumption of a number one. I knew where Selva's reserved spot in the Larunda spaceport was, and I let my legs bring me there while my brain did the thinking and my mouth did the eating. It's an old guard trick; letting your legs think for themselves is the only way to keep your sanity when you have to stare at the same grey walls for up to twelve hours at a time.
> 
> It didn't make sense. If my chronology was right, Selva had to have been kidnapped at the starport, unless she was lying to Ramir. However, it's the most heavily guarded section of the relay by far. I am finding it hard to believe anyone could have taken her there. Unless... I could feel the coin drop.
> 
> With cargo and transit freighters zipping over our heads, we made quick progress to Selva's own little parcel. The realisation led me to pick up the pace, and the lab monkeys struggled to keep up with me, my augmented legs covering ground like a prod Crewman charged with heresy. I didn't care about that at the moment. All four of them were soon out of sight.
> 
> It might seem strange that I would isolate myself like that, what with the two loonies still on the loose. However, I knew for a fact they weren't going to be on the station, and, even if they were, that they couldn't do anything to me.
> 
> Selva's parcel was a small, square tract of landing ground near the vacuum shields, distinguished from hundreds of its kind by nothing more than a personalised holo-display. Yet, a glimmer of red light in its corner caught the eye. On closer inspection, it was a recording device, much like the one I am using right now, coupled with a interplanetary locator. As one would expect, there was a message from Selva on it, but I didn't really need it to figure out what was going on. Yet, just to confirm my hunch, I did.
> 
> To put a very long run-on sentence short, Selva's contacts heard about those two trying to get clearance to enter the station. She had a cunning plan, so she pulled some strings to clear them through and arrange a meeting. Her idea was to intentionally get captured, attract a Tenno raid on Varalik's main base, and solve our assassin problem once and for all. What were you thinking, Selva? By the Void, so many ways for that to go wrong...
> 
> At least she had the foresight to get a tracking device hidden inside her more intimate parts. The locator showed a reassuring dot somewhere on Europa's surface, so there was only the matter of getting it to Cordylon and milking the Cephalon dry for what I would describe as an unprecedented breach of security. It didn't need to know everything, did it? Maybe I could even squeeze in a visit to Teshin?
> 
> The time I spent listening to Selva's recording allowed my party to catch up. Dahko and Takil lead the pack, with Rosidea and Bron panting well behind them. Of course, they wanted an explanation. I was still keen on sitting the rescue mission out, so I took a few creative liberties with my interpretation of Selva's message. I honestly thought that I went off the hook for once in my life. But, no.
> 
>  
>
>> - ** _Commander, do you still possess the Tenno communications device?_**
>> 
>> - _If you do, you could get some Tenno to help you right now, without having to rely on the machine, and then we could get Selva back from the nasties right now!_
>> 
>> - **Why just Tenno? You could run in there with them, show them how it's done.**
> 
> Damn. How did they find out? I sure didn't tell them anything. Well, I could refuse, but I had a reputation to uphold. Why should I be afraid of a few Corpus with a full squad of Tenno at my side, after all? What are they when we need to bring back one of our own? No way of weaseling out, I knew the bastards would follow me right to the point I punched in the coordinates on the shuttle.
> 
> Of course had the device. I still keep it in a special compartment of my exosuit, because I know how my life goes by this point. To borrow a Tenno expression I once saw on the thing, it goes pear-shaped. In fact, I'm sure it goes pear-shaped more often than actual pears do, whatever those may be. Just like the last time I had to use this thing, I hit a button on the back, and sent a distress signal to Maple's clan. This was going to be a long day...

* * *

 

>  
>
>> Raid planned for Sunday at 18:00 system time. Be there or be rectangular.
>> 
>> [12:09] alexander: maple, what's up with the new guy?
>> 
>> [12:09] Maple: What about him, Alex?
>> 
>> [12:09] alexander: i haven't seen him type a single thing in clan chat in the last month
>> 
>> [12:09] alexander: i know beast's mute, but he still tpyes
>> 
>> [12:09] alexander: *types
>> 
>> [12:10] alexander: you know, shy-mute, idk what the new guy is
>> 
>> [12:10] alexander: i mean, i'm not even sure he's a he
>> 
>> [12:10] Maple: The name's male.
>> 
>> [12:10] alexander: remember when we met operator nova?
>> 
>> [12:10] Maple: Oh, right.
>> 
>> [12:10] Maple: Doesn't matter.
>> 
>> [12:10] Maple: New guy's cool.
>> 
>> [12:10] Maple: Trust me.
>> 
>> [12:10] Maple: If you don't, check leaderboards.
>> 
>> [12:10] Maple: Half our Ambulas score alone.
>> 
>> [12:11] alexander: idk, still kinda freaks me out, but i'll take ur word.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: It's been two months.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: [Rescue Mission]
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: You have had time.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: Ooh.
>> 
>> [12:11] alexander: your friend's in trouble?
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: Nah.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: I think he will be, though.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: I know what's this about.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: Kai, Selva's missing, right?
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: Press the button for yes.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: Twice for no.
>> 
>> [12:11] Maple: [Rescue Mission]
>> 
>> [12:12] Maple: Rendezvous specifics will be on the channel.
>> 
>> [12:12] Maple: Keep an eye out, Kaiathas.
>> 
>> [12:12] Maple: Alex, start waking up who you can.
>> 
>> [12:12] Maple: I'll get Thorns.
>> 
>> [12:12] Maple: She'll love this.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, unfortunately, our leader is once again preoccupied with missions of vital importance, fighting alongside your mighty forces against the Corpus threat. I often wonder to myself why does he resign himself to research duties alongside our lowly selves, instead of employing his considerable combat prowess to fight the enemies of balance, but I am sure he has his valid reasons.

Civilian or Tenno, I assume you do not know of me, and I cannot blame you. My name is Bron Biranin, and my achievements outside of material sciences are unremarkable. By virtue of seniority, the burden of compiling this report falls squarely on my inadequate shoulders. I can but hope that my performance will vindicate this turn of fate.

Our esteemed guest on this day was a viridian Ash Prime, consigned to our care after a powerful radiation storm disrupted his ability systems. The fault the damnable radioactive forces created in the Warframe's intricate systems caused it to attack itself with Blade Storm, an ability I will elucidate on at a later time. For now, there is the matter of his appearance and configuration.

Ash is a Warframe that often causes scratching of heads among the masses who do not work with them as closely as our humble little lab. Confusion with Excalibur is surprisingly common, and there is role overlap in Tenno cells, as both Warframes specialise in large-scale extermination operations, providing immense amounts of damage where it is needed to cut down the myriad enemies of a better Origin. Yet, there are cosmetic differences to keep an eye out for: notice the chiseled, muscular physique on Ash's torso, as well as the thick and ornamented shoulders and thighs. Most configurations of this tested design also possess a helmet with a ponytail structure, but this is not an universal rule by any means.

Aesthetics aside, as impressive as they always are on these dominant biomachines of war, I can safely assume that most operators care more about the defensive characteristics of their Warframes, and I am pleased to bring good news to the curious Tenno. Ash's ability systems are relatively simple, as much as that attribute can be applied to a piece of Orokin technology, which allowed the Warframe's designers to focus on its secondary systems. As a result of their ingenuity, Ash shows a remarkable combination of speed and durability. All vital systems are covered in Ferrite-based plating, which is guarded by a reactive biometallic external armour layer located just under the exoskeleton, which is in turn protected by powerful shield systems.

What led to the development of this masterpiece? According to the data graciously provided to us by the wise Cephalon Cordylon, Ash is the second Orokin take on the Excalibur concept, with the addition of technology developed after the introduction of that venerable design. Many of the Warframe's improvements came at the regrettable cost of flexibility from vestigial systems, but it was believed to be an acceptable sacrifice at the time. For some reason, these documents refer to the Warframe as female. I can only assume that changes were made between the prototyping stage and mass production.

The question of whether the Archimedians were correct is one I will leave for the reader to consider. My responsibility is to lay out the facts of the Warframe's functionality, and I will begin with the simple, yet powerful Shuriken.

  * Ash is well known for his tiny throwing stars, the titular Shuriken, which are constructed as needed by specialised miniature Foundries located in the Warframe's shoulders and hurled at the opposition. Physical projectiles might seem like an inapposite choice, when energy-based projectiles can be just as effective for his purposes, considering there is no reuse of these tiny projectiles of death. It is wise to question such things, and our research uncovered the fact that the Shuriken are side products of the foundry systems. Their main purpose is to passively create small numbers of nanomachines specialised for constant sharpening of Ash's weapons and the projectiles they fire. Thanks to their effect, any lacerating wounds his weapons cause are all the more devastating. The physical nature of the Shuriken also allows them to compromise the integrity of enemy armour plating with proper aiming, and this is exactly what the Seeking Shuriken augmentation module allows.

  * An apparent smoke bomb detonated on the ground with a purposeful pitch is this Warframe's second ability. Showing the Orokin propensity for reuse of tried and trusted technology, Smoke Screen systems are almost completely identical to Loki's Invisibility, with concessions made to Ash's lack of a mimetic exoskeleton. The smokescreen created by the ability is usually just that, a smokescreen, created as a result of an intentionally inefficient Void Energy matter conversion. With the addition of the Smoke Shadow augmentation module, however, this reaction is harnessed into providing a thin layer of optical retardant, its composition similar to the biomechanical fluid naturally secreted by Feral Kavats. This allows allies within range of the smoke to share Ash's unnatural abilities.

  * Teleport allows Ash to cover vast distances and close into melee range on his inferior enemies to give them the taste of his cold steel, or appear right by the side of his noble allies when help is needed. Once again, systems from Loki are wisely reused to achieve the teleportation effect, with the only changes made in Ash's firmware. Of course, potential for the ability's improvement was seen, and as such, an augmentation module by the name of Fatal Teleport exists. Excess energy from the teleportation process is imbued in Ash's weapon, resulting in a more damaging attack on an enemy disoriented by his sudden appearance. If the attack is lethal, any energy still remaining within the weapon is then returned to his pools for future usage, where it will certainly cut down even more pathetic fools who dare stand in the way of the Tenno.

  * Finally, Blade Storm has been called an "ultimate" ability by my fellow researchers, and it certainly deserves such a monicker. In operation, it is a supercharged Teleport working in tandem with Spectre-based clones of Ash. They spread out over a wide area and horribly lacerate enemies designated as targets by the Warframe's operator using retractable arm blades. Spectres are created straight out of the Warframe's energy pools with reusable projectors housed in his thighs, as contrasted to the relatively primitive method of portable, self contained projectors more commonly utilised for such technology. One could say an augmentation module exists, but it is a misnomer. Rising Storm, the module in question, does not affect the ability in any way, but rather improves Ash's capacity to stay in a melee combat focus, improving his effectiveness over prolonged close-ranged engagements. It is of historic notice that the targeting mechanisms and associated costs of Blade Storm were recently changed due to concerns over the long-term health of prolific Ash operators, but I am sure the Tenno have adapted well to the changes by now.




I am not in Mr. Kahn's privileged position to speak with any authority about the effectiveness of Ash. All I can say is that the team has done an exceptional job at putting this Warframe back into regular function, and I hope the operator to whom he belongs will not be inconvenienced in any way by our minor work. May your minds be sharper than Ash's blades,

 ** _Bron Biranin_** , senior materials specialist

* * *

 

>  
>
>> -Finally, some competence in this institution! Moran, Vahk, out.
>> 
>> -I'd introduce myself, but you already know me. So, you are the Scrambus who has been such a pain in the finances, are you? What you are sitting on is a BX-35 industrial contact power pad. Let's see if it interfaces with that suit, shall we? I have been waiting for this moment so long, and I think it is only fair you sit here and wait a bit, isn't it? Don't bother, I have had it nicely magnetised to all those plates you have on you. It has been so long...
>> 
>> -...why is this so important to me? I... stay there. STAY THERE! I will be back.


	21. Mirage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/6re8c7/research_report_mirage/

 

 

>  
> 
>  
>
>> Listen to Thorns, or else.
>> 
>> [14:13] DanceOfThorns: Everyone present is in favour of plan D, then?
>> 
>> [14:14] Maple: Not running the Index again.
>> 
>> [14:14] Maple: Any plan without it.
>> 
>> [14:14] alexander: that ceph speaks to me in my dreams and they aren't nice dreams
>> 
>> [14:14] adrastea: the newbie could do that mission alone, but they wont take the bait if its just one of us
>> 
>> [14:14] Raul: plus, i dnt know anything bout civs, cant pretend im them
>> 
>> [14:15] DanceOfThorns: So, just to make sure everyone got this: Maple is running reconnaissance on Valac, new guy is running diversionary missions against the turdwipes on the spot just off Ose, and the rest of us will assemble at Baal and proceed to the coordinates Cordylon forwarded to the clan.
>> 
>> [14:15] Maple: [Rescue Mission]
>> 
>> [14:16] Maple: Think we both got it.
>> 
>> [14:16] adrastea: all good
>> 
>> [14:16] Raul: brb, need to craft some stuff
>> 
>> [14:16] alexander: ready and confident, can't fail with who we put on diversion
>> 
>> [14:16] adrastea: no one man should have all that conclave score
>> 
>> [14:16] DanceOfThorns: >Implying he is a man, not a Sentient in disguise.
>> 
>> [14:16] Maple: :think:
>> 
>> [14:17] DanceOfThorns: New guy, can you please type anything, just so we can confirm you have understood all of this?
>> 
>> [14:17] Maple: Come on, Thorns.
>> 
>> [14:17] Maple: It won't work.
>> 
>> [14:17] Maple: You know it.
>> 
>> [14:18] Timmy: :wink:
>> 
>> [14:18] DanceOfThorns: I think you will find you now owe me 500 platinum, Maple. In other words, pay up, bitch.

* * *

 

 

> The new, shocking info had to be relayed to Cordylon, of course. Unfortunately, it was relayed by a Grineer stuck in his old job, a suck-up, someone who couldn't talk properly because of the Infested, and someone that couldn't think properly because of the Infested.
> 
> They do what I pay them for really well, make no mistake. My reputation brings access to some of the brightest minds in the galaxy, and Selva was always there to help me soar over the proverbial and, on one occasion, quite literal sea of paperwork. The problem with my underlings is what they do without me paying them.
> 
> A silver lining to this situation was that they could hardly make the situation any worse than it already was without actively attempting to kill me, and the Cephalon went through the proper channels to equip me with a Tenno-spec shuttle for my personal use. Make no mistake, it was no Liset, but it certainly felt as if it was on the same level.
> 
> There was no felt padding or VR suites, but the shuttle needed neither. The grey, curving lines of the vessel concealed the best gravity generator I have felt in my life, engines powerful enough to go straight through the Saturn checkpoints before the Grineer could even scramble interceptors, and, believe it or not, actual, comfortable seats. It even had an amiable Cephalon aboard, with whom I made some pleasantly distracting small talk. Wish I could remember his name, though.
> 
> Before too long, I found myself hurtling down to the surface of Europa, flanked by four Tenno dropships. The facility where Varalik was supposed to be keeping Selva expanded into view disturbingly quickly, especially considering just how little of the downward momentum I actually felt. I didn't get too good of a look at it, but there was really nothing to see. It was the standard assortment of prefabbed building blocks, surrounded by ship wreckage, as is pretty much everything on that side of the planet. A few of the roofs showed signs of haphazard repair, but, according to my talks with Selva, Europan weather can get really bad really fast.
> 
> Our ships honed in on a small hill on the outskirts of the facility. The Tenno gracefully dropped off the bellies of their vessels, and I followed behind them, with considerably less grace and considerably more cursing.
> 
> Now that I think of it, I really should have felt something other than the all-too familiar sense of adrenaline coursing through my body. I suppose the squad of Tenno rapidly moving away from me proved to be a slight distraction. I had to keep up with them; as long as they were close, anyone deployed to stop our break in would certainly find the ornately decorated death machines to be a bigger danger than a strange Crewman in a purple exosuit.
> 
> As such, I didn't consider the fact that I was not worried about possibly having to kill someone... again...
> 
> ...better. Anyway, it's not as if I suddenly embraced one of the actual good parts of the Neptune indoctrination and stopped having worries that could get me killed. Rather, there was nothing to worry about. No mercenaries, no hidden laser traps, nothing but the wrecks of a scant few Moas and turrets, neutralised by the Warframes in front of me. I should have thought about it, but no, I was too busy trying to keep up. They had a Volt in their midst, and at times, the only thing I had to track them by was the strong smell of ozone in the air left in his aftermath.
> 
> I must have thought that the situation was the result of the diversion mission Maple's clan was running, but, in hindsight, no kind of distraction could have explained such a skeleton crew. I wish it was just a skeleton crew. I mean, a crew of literal reanimated skeletons would have been better that what actually caused this. At least I could have shot at the skeletons...

* * *

 

 

>  
> 
>  
>
>> -Status report on Ose Sigma, Bardin.
>> 
>> - _You will be pleased to hear than only five more body parts have been located in the facility, operator!_
>> 
>> -Shame, the imbeciles over there ought to get some more training in finding severed limbs. If they continue such effective displays of competence, I imagine the skill will come in handy very soon. Do remind Tech-Sergeant Zek of our alloy cutter lines, Bardin.
>> 
>> - _As you will. On a side remark, I am glad the therapy precepts seem to be taking effect, Captain!_
>> 
>> -Spare me your concerns, Cephalon. The only thing you should be glad of is that I cannot blame you for what is happening. Even you could not fail to catch a psychopath with a Serro. I almost feel sorry for them. They'll be hopeless once the Tenno come. Are the twins ready?
>> 
>> - _As ready as they were were when you lasted had made this query exactly four minutes ago, operator._
>> 
>> -I would have mistaken this for sarcasm if you were clever enough to comprehend the concept, machine. Oh, they will come, I will force their hand, and then... and then... I should have thought this through, why am I doing this, why can't be like the good boys in cell seven, why did I try any of this, why...
>> 
>> - _Operator!_
>> 
>> -Right. The Warframes will be disabled, we will take what we can from them, and immediately relocate to the main base. There is nothing to be concerned about. I've only got to wait. Signs of activity?
>> 
>> - _Nega... intrusion detected near the north entrance with signs of teleportation..._
>> 
>> -Gas the prisoner and prepare the shuttle.
>> 
>> - _But captain, they are not..._
>> 
>> -My instructions were clear. Evidently, your mind is not. **Stop** questioning me.

* * *

 

 

> Still, we pressed on, myself only remaining close to the cell thanks to those two-man security doors the Board always had an odd affinity for. Having to pull someone off patrol because a Tech-Overseer picked your sorry ass to fix something in _that_ section of the station was never fun. The only thing those doors can do against a determined enemy is slow them down by a few seconds, and yet, I understand they continue to be the bane of honest Crewmen around the system.
> 
> I was not surprised to hear alarms blaring at some point. Our approach was about as stealthy as legless Moa attempting to run on a treadmill. However, the Tenno reacted to the blaring klaxons by somehow becoming even faster. There was some chatter on the comms, but I was too focused on avoiding obstacles to make anything useful out. The next minute of running pushed me to my limits, augmented legs notwithstanding.
> 
> Our objective was a sizeable, living complex converted into a prisoner holding facility, with catwalks on its walls and pillars connecting to small, square jail cells. An entire wall of the whole thing was transparent, and provided a good view of the Europan landscape. Someone like Vern probably saw the value of taking hostages early on in his line of career, and the sprawling room seemed a lot more maintained than the rest of the facility, even having some gaudy Orokin-style decorations in its corners. More to the point were numerous pieces of portable cover, deployed to face the entrance we were attempting to enter from. Safely hidden behind them, ready to ruin my day, was a huge, sprawling army of absolutely nothing.
> 
> There wasn't much time to consider the implications. The cells were numerous, and Selva could have been in any one of them. Furthermore, the stench of toxin in the air showed me just why the Tenno were in such a hurry. There was not a lot of time.
> 
> I am not sure if the Warframes have a sense of smell, but I do. The stench of dangerous chemicals was strong and had a clear source, one that I spent my last ounces of stamina to track. A maddening dash up several sets of stairs led me to a single cell, one I gestured at wildly until the Volt of the cell came to hack it.
> 
> Its doors opened with a gust of toxic air, and behind them was Selva, sprawled out on the ground. She still had her suit and helmet on, but they didn't do her any good; a wide gash along the perimeter of the helmet allowed the killing agent to do its work. I quickly went down to check her pulse. There was nothing but dead silence.
> 
> Dead silence, until I felt an odd, pleasant buzz spread through my body. I turned around in anticipation of a threat, only to be greeted by the sight of a rose Trinity rising from a cast of Blessing. As if on cue, Selva returned to life, coughing and sputtering as she attempted to rise on her feet. In spite of everything, she succeeded, hovering slightly unsteadily above the ground. I...think she tried to thank me at that point. What escaped out of her mouth was a hoarse rasping sound more commonly associated with heavy drinkers at around 3:30 AM, but it sounded grateful to me.
> 
> I wanted to take a breather, but, alas, it was not to be. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement beyond the transparent wall. It was Varalik, running for his life to a shuttle in the distance. The Tenno saw him too and tried to fire at him, but the wall proved too thick for them to hit their target. Before long, he dusted off. I wanted to shout, but I was too tired to be angry.
> 
> It was just as well that I did not. The two other Warframes of the cell, a Nezha and an Oberon, joined up with the rest of us, and they did not come alone. Trailing behind them were a dozen scraggly figures, some of them limping and groaning in pain. Evidently, Selva was not alone in her suffering. And here I was, hoping for a nice, safe extraction. I'd have to be a hero in front of all these people.
> 
> You know, I put a lot of thought into to put myself between all the captives and the remaining security while still looking like a suitable heroic individual. Yes, the remaining security forces. I still didn't consider the reasoning behind those forces showing up to shoot at us for the last five minutes in a facility under high alert. I just got the prisoners organised and got us moving towards the extraction point. Many of them didn't know the common language, so it was up to me to dust off my old Corpus language skills in order to put myself in a safe position.
> 
> Our progress was slow. The Tenno initially tried to resume their lightning-fast tempo, but had to slow down after noticing the slowness of our escapee column. Still, Selva and three of the more healthy prisoners got sidearms from the Tenno, and we weren't meeting any resistance. I was actually becoming somewhat relieved. Until the bodies showed up.
> 
> Several rooms from a small, outdoor landing pad, our extraction point, we saw a bunch of scattered Moa wrecks and Crewman bodies. We were not alone. The prisoners got scared, as normal people do in situations when something unknown might want to kill them. That meant I also got unnerved, but years of sucking up to Corpus leadership allowed me to easily conceal those feelings. I stopped the Tenno, spouted off a few encouraging platitudes to the captives, and then went with the Oberon and Nezha to scout ahead and see if our way out was safe. The other two Warframes stayed behind to protect the captives and Selva.
> 
> Running straight into danger might seem like a very good way to get killed. Generally, it is, but the situation seemed different here. My reasoning was that a stationary group of hapless civilians would make for a lot more appealing target than mere two Warframes and a tagalong dumbass in a purple suit. Either the threat was gone, or it would attack the more vulnerable group. Once I'd hear of the attack, I would run back to "save" our escortees, and arrive with most of the actual threats dead. How wrong I was.
> 
> The Tenno and I made slow, methodical progress towards the extraction point.The further we went, the more bodies we found. There were dead Techs, Combas, and even Bursa wrecks. Laying beside one of them were the corpses of the psychos who kidnapped Selva in the first place. At least that explained what happened to them, but the strange thing was that among the hundreds of dead, there were no signs of an enemy force. Many of the fallen were lying in pieces, hacked apart by some sort of a powerful weapon.
> 
> There was a strange, nagging feeling I felt while we were moving forwards, as if my brain had the answer to this enigma, but could not get it through my thick skull. The Warframes moved at a walking pace besides me, a far cry from their previous feats of speed. What was going on?
> 
> The answer came as we rounded a corner next to our extraction point, and it came in form of a deep, reverberating foghorn noise. The Grineer were here, and they wanted Kuva. Just before our landing pad, there was a Kuva Siphon: a large balloon-shaped machine of red and black, with strange braids dangling off its sides was guarded by numerous Grineer clad in armour of the same colours. Among them were Kuva Guardians, monstrous mounds of flesh and armour wielding halberds larger, heavier, and significantly sharper than yours truly.
> 
> A wave of terror overcame me as I made the connection, but the Tenno seemed to be gladdened by this development. Nezha's operator even let out a sigh of relief, and charged off with the Oberon towards the Siphon to perform the intricate interplay of Warframe and operator required to destroy one of them. Leaving me completely alone. Bastards.
> 
> I knew how this dance went. I had seen Siphon assaults on some of the mission recordings Cordylon would provide me with for the purposes of my research. Well, the dance didn't have to include me. The civilians were pretty far back and the Tenno knew me for what I was. It was time to run to live another day.
> 
> My augmented legs made good work, sending me at high speeds away from the battlefield and straight into the belly of a Kuva Guardian that just happened to teleport in right behind me.
> 
> Why do I keep unwittingly running straight into Grineer? Why can I not unwittingly run into a pile of baby Kubrows? Is that too much to ask? Sigh...
> 
> So, there I was, flat on the ground, right in front of one of the finest abominations the Grineer can throw at the Tenno menace. As salt on my wound, a small, tan clothed, questionably humanoid creature, previously perched on the Guardian's shoulder, cried out in a shrill voice and decided to start attempting to maul my left foot. On pure reflex, I swung my legs up and over my head, in an attempt to roll backwards from whatever attack I was about to receive.
> 
> Fortunately, the tan thing went careening off of me from the force of the swing, disappearing out of sight with a satisfying scream. Unfortunately, I could not evade the Guardian, and its weapon caught me mid-roll. My shields were up to the task of deflecting the blow, but only barely, and the sharp pain I felt let me know that the attack completely depleted them. At least I was standing now. Just like a freighter on a crash course at least has working gravity.
> 
> What followed was a frenzied, defensive battle. The Guardian was unrelenting, taking swing after swing at me. I dodged most, desperately deflected others with my Prova, but some went through. Just as my shields would recharge, the monster would pierce my defences and take them down again. I was already exhausted, and that thing could just keep attacking me until I could not sustain the fight anymore. Even if I had infinite stamina, one of the other Grineer would have to split from the Tenno and seal my fate eventually. I knew from experience that the Guardians were invulnerable as long as they had their halberds, and, for all the mods on my Dera, it could only _tickle_ the mound of fat and muscle currently attempting to kill me. I needed a new approach. It was a desperate move, but it was my only hope. I needed to try running away.
> 
> There was no hope of outspeeding the Guardian, not after the exhaustion I suffered so far, but it was the appearance that matter. Dropping my Dera and flailing my arms around, I desperately ran away from the Kuva Siphon. I tried to add as much dramatic flair as possible, but, truth be told, there was not a lot of acting involved. The Kuva Guardian, of course, tried to intercept me. With its mechanical legs, it leaped at me and swung its weapon downwards, letting gravity and its sheer mass do the killing for it. Just what I expected.
> 
> A last-second sidestep made the soaring strike narrowly miss. It was close, close enough that I felt the floor shake underneath me from the impact. However, I had a trick up my sleeve. The dramatic run I performed actually concealed some adjustments of my exosuit. Tech-grade suits such as mine carry some powerful strength enhancers within them; a necessary addition, considering the weight of the weapons usually carried by Techs. What most people don't know is that these enhancers can be supercharged in a pinch, providing vastly improved capabilities. Doing this is very prone to destroying a suit's internals, but when the alternative is seeing your own internals on the wrong end of a pointy stick, repair bills can go straight to the Void. And when a giant abomination puts all its weight behind a swing and misses, it doesn't generally have the best grip on its weapon.
> 
> Fighting through my pain and exhaustion, I grabbed the handle of the halberd with all the energy I had left, and pulled to wrench it out of the Guardian's grasp. The weapon was now in my hands, but I underestimated its weight. The momentum of its movement spun me in place. The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the Guardian. On its oversized stomach was a strange, red symbol and a large slash wound. The halberd was still in my hands, dripping blood. Pure instinct drove me to thrust the it into the red symbol, diving forward to make the blow all the more damaging. The beast roared in pain, and I tried to yank the weapon out, but it somehow got stuck in the Guardian's internals. The Grineer creature struggled, letting out blood-curdling screams, but, soon enough, it died, and fell backwards with a resounding thud.
> 
> Now, I will be the first to say that the Corpus philosophy has many problems, and that I do not consider myself a part of it anymore. Any way of life that includes the possibility of getting murdered by a Warframe is not for me. That being said, I felt an atypical twang of pride in my heritage when I felled the Guardian, and what would happen next made this whole ordeal seem almost worth it.
> 
> In that fight, I was in sort of a combat trance. A mere mortal cannot fight a clone bred to grotesque perfection without devoting their full focus to the fight. When I snapped out of it and started paying attention to my comms, well, just let me get to the timestamp...
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> _-Why, my limey-wimeys? I give you these nice, big toys to play with the dreamers, and then you lose them and a stranger has to find them for you. Oh, don't you understand me? Let me rephrase that. WHAT ARE YOU GLUTTONOUS WASTES OF FOOD DOING? You try to fight the Void's little brats, you fail, and it makes me sad. But this? Years upon years of breeding, murdered by a purple banker with a shiny scarf! Defend the Siphon, and maybe, just MAYBE, you will have the PRIVILEGE of becoming my dinner._
> 
> Personally angering a Grineer Queen is quite possibly the most impressive thing an ex-boxhead like yours truly can do. I'd be worried about retribution, but I know how literally every Grineer attempt at Larunda ended. Those were some great firework shows. On the off chance this tape reaches the Queens, well... I'd tell you to eat shit, but considering the quality of your troops, you already do.
> 
> After I killed the Guardian, things simmered down. Volt, Selva, and the armed prisoners came to reinforce us when... I guess they came in while I was fighting the beast? I'm not sure. That does mean that they might have seen me mid-battle... ehh, it's not important. With their help and my Dera that I recovered from the ground, the rest of the fight was a cakewalk. Nezha and Oberon alone had the Siphon's destruction under control, and with our help, the remnants of the Grineer resistance were quickly crushed. The only thing left was to wait for the extraction of all those prisoners to be organised. The Lotus expected one captive, not thirteen.
> 
> We decided to hole up in a small metal shack next to the landing pad to keep out the cold. Some of the captives were recovering from their imprisonment and started talking with each other. Selva just hovered in place, taking bites of some sort of a fruit in between coughs and wheezes. No idea how she managed to hide it from her captors. I just clutched up into a ball after the adrenaline from the fight wore off and the pain started truly kicking in. The Tenno were as odd as ever, sometimes sitting, sometimes performing those strange dances of theirs, and occasionally just swinging their melee weapons at the air, as if practicing.
> 
> I'm not too sure how long we spent there. I was pretty dazed from my experiences, and fought to stay awake. The wait was quite uneventful, with one exception. At one point, the Nezha of the cell stood up, only for his operator to walk out of him and start talking to me. His voice was undoubtedly masculine, a far cry from my previous Maple-related gender confusion.
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> - **Uhh... hello, Kaiathas. I'm Raul, and, err, Maple wanted you to know that we know where the kingpin is.**
>> 
>> -Kingpin?
>> 
>> - **The guy who took Sil...Ser... your Scrambus, you know, the crazy...**
>> 
>> -Oh, Varalik. Are you going to go and try to finish him off?
>> 
>> - **Yeah, yeah, Maple's on his tail, just wanted to let you know.**
>> 
>> - _I want to... go._
> 
> A series of coughs signaled Selva's attempt to speak. She sounded hoarse, but still better than when we initially got her out. There was no way I was going to go on another mission after that, but there were some people listening. I had to play the part of a hero.
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> -Are you sure? You just got gassed, surely you need to take a rest.
> 
> I was not too concerned, to be fair. Selva is strong, and Maple is competent. After what happened at that facility, anyway, I didn't imagine Varalik had a lot left to throw at the Tenno.
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> - _He needs to pay, and money... won't do, th... this is personal, because I heard the others and they... hurt."_
>> 
>> -I won't stand in your way, but be careful, please. I don't want this to happen again. Can you get a weapon?
>> 
>> - **Maple will have her Rakta Ballistica, probably. I'm sure she will. You, err, can use one?**
>> 
>> - _Yeah._
>> 
>> -Then go and kick his arrogant ass, will you? Break one of his bones for everyone he has hurt.
>> 
>> - _Sounds like a plan._
> 
> There was a cheer from the other captives. Apparently, one of them was translating our talk, and, considering the state of some of them, it was not hard to see the reason for their happiness. If only they knew the truth.
> 
> Our transport came soon enough. Selva took the shuttle that got me to Europa, the Tenno jumped back on their dropships, and I took the vessel provided for the transport of the other captives. It wasn't a bad trip back. Idle chatting and a fortuitous pack of cards took our minds off the pain. They were... you know what, let's cut this short. After the trip, I just walked back to my hab block, and, well, here we are. Now, excuse me while I take some painkillers and collapse from exhaustion. Kaiathas, out.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, another day brings us another Warframe. Mirage came to us with severe fire damage, courtesy of six different Grineer Hyekka Masters simultaneously burning her in a defence mission gone wrong. The only permanent damage was cosmetic, but due to the Warframe's atypical construction, we had to take a good part of her apart to install the replacement carapace parts.

Mirage is a strange thing, even by Warframe standards. The oddities begin at the aforementioned exoskeleton layer. Oversized knee guards and pauldrons are par for the course as far as Orokin designs go, true, but actual eyes are practically unseen on Warframe models, if you will excuse the pun. They are not merely cosmetic, either, and provide Mirage with exactly what you would expect eyes to provide.

Beyond the outer layer is a highly atypical wiring structure; design conventions seen in most other Warframes are nowhere to be seen in Mirage, and deciphering the various inter-system links was only possible thanks to an Orokin-era design file recovered from a temporal discontinuity on Lua. Otherwise, contemporary documentation on her is conspicuously lacking, and we're not sure why. Our best guess is that this is related to the tragic destruction of the prototype Mirage during the Old War, but, honestly, we're grasping at straws here.

The fact is that this model uses Void energy in an unusual manner. Most Warframes don't merely power their abilities with it. Rather, their systems guide its direct conversion into some form of matter: fire, ice, energy blades, whatever is needed. In contrast, Mirage uses her Void energy reserves exclusively as power for her ability systems, which achieve the desired effects using mechanisms unrelated to energy-matter conversion. Speaking as a specialist in this sort of power, this is generally an ineffective design due to losses incurred by the indirectness of this approach. However, the unique design of Mirage's internals makes this approach far more efficient than one would expect.

Of course, sacrifices were made for this. These internal systems took up a lot of the space which is normally used by other essentials. As a result, this Warframe is exceptionally light and fragile, with underpowered shields and relatively poor structural integrity. There is some unusually solid bio metallic plating just under the carapace, but the charred chunks of Mirage waiting for disposal in the corner of our lab speak to its effectiveness. This lightness does carry a few advantages, as it allows for exceptionally fast movement and maneuvering.

I suppose it's time to explain what exactly makes these systems special. As (almost) always, let's start with the simplest one.

  * Hall of Mirrors allows Mirage to project up to four copies of herself, which are positioned around her and mimic her every move. This would be an unremarkable application of holographic projection, were it not that these copies can also fire weapons in tandem with Mirage, dealing actual damage to their targets. Mere holograms cannot do this, and this ability is based on hard light: an old Void-based technique of photon manipulation that gives the particles actual mass. For this effect to be achieved, a projector within Mirage's helmet analyses the light hitting the Warframe, and based on that data, creates barebone simulacrums of the Warframe and its armaments. They are not perfect replicas, and their attacks are significantly weaker than the those of the original, but they do provide extra targets for unwitting enemies and, needless to say, some degree of extra firepower. The latter can be improved with an augmentation module. It empowers the light-based weaponry of the clones by gathering data from killing blows on enemies, and making appropriate adjustments. In layman's terms, killing stuff makes the clones even better at killing stuff. As a side note, the hard light approach allows parts of the clones to be shifted out of the visible spectrum without a decrease in effectiveness. Therefore, excess projectiles and clones obstructing sightlines can be easily made invisible on the fly.

  * With a wave of her hand, Mirage uses Sleight of Hand to subvert almost every piece of technology around her, from turrets to mere lockers. Effects vary on the particular item, but, judging from the mission recordings we got, they are all adept at making the other side's life more miserable. To be honest, the team and I were initially baffled by this particular ability's subsystem. It is actually quite minimalistic, composting of a very small nanobot foundry and a glorified IFF scanner located in the Warframe's arm. However, after several test charges being let into them and an unfortunate incident with one of our tool lockers, we were able to narrow down Sleight of Hand's method of operation. Initially, the IFF scanner, modified specifically for this ability, is used to detect any objects within range compatible with this ability. This step is where the majority its energy draw comes from. Once the objects have been detected, Mirage connects to them, either via wireless override, or direct physical contact using nanobots constructed for the occasion.

    * Where this ability truly shines is what happens next: a large table within the Warframe's firmware is consulted in order to execute the appropriate actions that turn the various pieces of technology into something beneficial to the Tenno. These tables are extremely compact for the amount of data they carry,and use an encryption algorithm we could not find a reference to in any Orokin data repositories, and they can be expanded even further with an augmentation module. The data seems to lead to the conclusion that Mirage's item data was recovered from a non-Orokin source, but we have no conclusive proof to support this theory. What we do have is the nature of the other two abilities Mirage possesses.
  * Eclipse has two distinct capabilities, dependent of the light level of Mirage's surroundings. In the dark, it significantly increases her durability for a certain time, allowing her to shrug off attacks that could even make an Inaros feel concerned. In the light, the complete opposite happens, as Mirage's weaponry becomes several times more damaging. These effects are highlighted by cosmetic changes of the Warframe's carapace: a smoky effect indicates the former, and a white, shining one indicates the latter. Both these effects are enabled by a reservoir of highly transparent liquid substance located within Mirage. With Eclipse's activation, the liquid is charged with Void energy. After that, it moves out of the reservoir and onto her skin, covering the whole Warframe in a thin coating.

    * Now, this substance is not within my field of expertise, but Larissa, one of our materials experts, seems to be in love with it. Apparently, it is really close in composition to the material Sentients are made of, which grants it the remarkable defensive properties under low lighting. However, under bright light, it starts bleeding Void energy and loses its defensive properties. This might sound like a bad thing, but the energy released like this is easily siphoned back into weapons, which makes them that much more destructive. The substance can even jump to nearby allies, assuming you have the augmentation module which allows for that sort of movement.
  * Finally, Prism. Mirage can create balls of light and randomly moving lasers and hurl them at enemies, having just the sort of effect you would expect from a ball of deadly lasers. It is also remarkably similar to an ability employed by Sentient Battalyst units. Seeing as we don't have any Battalyst wrecks at hand for what I can only assume are perfectly valid reasons, there's no way we can confirm any similarity between the two. At any rate, it's a remarkably simple mechanism for a Warframe: a miniaturised laser projector remotely powered by the Mirage is created, additional holographic effects are projected for the sake of battlefield awareness, and, when it does its work, the nature of the device results in a bright and loud bang. In addition, the remote powering systems also bleed excess energy in bright light, which is re-collected and used to supercharge the lasers themselves.




In the modern Tenno cell, Mirage is used as a high-damage support, with her augmented Eclipse being able to provide significant benefits to the cell, while Prism's detonation can control entire crowds when the situation calls for it. In the past, however, the most popular theory among us is that Mirage was a testbed for Sentient-based technology. This would handily explain both the lack of documentation and the unusual design choices. Considering the nature of the Sentient threat, however, there is also the possibility of Mirage being the source of the technology used in their proxies. There is no evidence for either of the these, so I would like to leave this discussion for the readers. The speculation is beyond our collective paycheck regardless.

Whether she was an experiment, or the unwilling test subject, Mirage is undoubtedly useful, and I imagine many of the Tenno reading this have her at a prized spot in their arsenals. My former people say that the rich broker knows the future, but the richer broker understands it. I don't need to highlight which of those I wish my readership to be.

With utmost respect,

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer

* * *

 

 

> _Snip, snip. Another eye from the body. Now, where to put that one? The mess hall? No, foot in soup was scary enough._
> 
> _Better put it in the hallway. They are getting close. Nobody wants to get close. Not on the station, at least. The chain of command makes for a cruel whip._
> 
> _They think he's a murderer. Well, he is. He is a Tenno. But if I was there... you know forty minute Survivals? That's what I'd do._
> 
> _Timmy's different. He heard a man punish his subordinates. "You didn't get here in time", he said. A Volt couldn't get there in time. Week's wages lost, just for that. He was cruel. The death was quicker than he deserved. Then, after he died, what matters the body? Just a sack of flesh, Timmy says._
> 
> _That's how Tech-Sergeant Jaz sacrificed gave his life. For his death, others could live. Hundreds of others._
> 
> _Such strange thinking from Timmy. But he means well. No simple murderers in my clan._
> 
> _Is it still martyrdom if it's not voluntary?_


	22. Octavia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/731up4/research_report_octavia/ Check it out for a bonus story!

 

 

> _Hurtling through Europa's atmosphere. Just like... two thousand five hundred times before? I will trust the statistics. I lost count long ago. Not business as usual, though. At my Liset's side, a large ship, carrying one crazy lady._
> 
> _I can hear Selva on the comms. Coughing, punctuated by wheezing, distorted through a Fog helmet. I think that's what nightmares sound like. Not that I would know. I am a Tenno. I am the nightmare._
> 
> _Those Skates on Phobos still freak me out, though. Just plain wrong, I tell you._
> 
> _Time passes. The coughing does not pass. I want to help, but I can't. The Tenno approach to medicine? Getting stabbed. In the neck. By a living chair. It's a comfy chair, but it probably won't help her. Thus, a slightly awkward silence. I take the time to go over it all._
> 
> _Valac was just a spy mission. Ivara, in and out, five minutes. Didn't even have to kill anything. The data? Neo Relic location and an Ivara Blueprint. More for the pile. Oh, and Varalik's location. Shame if I forgot that. Weird thing, though. No encryption, exact location, updated real time. How... conspicuous._
> 
> _Finally, we arrive. Our ships can't get too close. Looks like Varalik dug deep into the ice. Selva touches down right behind me. Despite everything, she stands tall. Well, hovers. "Aww, he made his own tomb for us, how nice!" I can't help but agree._
> 
> _This mission is important. I am not taking chances. Three weapons, three rivens. One Helios Prime, six Forma. Most importantly, Octavia, my finest Warframe._
> 
> _Still strange to say that. I got her mere months ago. My first steps with her were painful. Literally. I kept running into walls. Dance? I couldn't dance. No rhythm, no dexterity. Like a deaf, drunk, beached Lanx. But I kept at it._
> 
> _One day, it all clicked. No more wall-related trauma. From then on? As if I had used her my entire life. Possibly because I have. Maybe. Pre-cryosleep memories are weird. Nothing distinct; just the merest suggestion of something more. Like... Random pages of a book. A smell, indistinct, but powerful. Visions of an Orokin Tower._ **_The Tower._** _Why does it keep coming back? Never mind. All I know is that Octavia feels_ **_right._**
> 
> _Thoughts of the past disperse. There is work to be done. Selva is itching to move. And so, we do. With my Ballistica in hand, she seems healthier. Somehow._
> 
> _Soon enough, resistance. Sure is a lot of them. Varalik is throwing everything at us._
> 
> _None of it matters._
> 
> _Nullifiers, Scrambuses, Bursas, nothing can stand in my way anymore. Of course, they have high tech and shiny guns. My guns are shinier._
> 
> _In the end, they are mere Corpus. Just a cult, worshipping money. Octavia's song starts playing, and death follows._
> 
> _We fight further into the ice caves. Or rather, Selva fights. What I do is closer to a dance. Swings, shots, and movements, all to the rhythm of the music. It's a good song, too. Not that that's special. Not when I have more than five tones to work with. A friend came through, and I have a full octave. Better leave it at that. Might make The Lotus even more worried._
> 
> _Deeper still. The caves are getting warm. Only relatively, though. Still cold enough for ice. Artificial light shines upon grey, metal boxes in the walls. Very... homely. From them, a tide of crewmen and Moas. Yet, it's smaller than before._
> 
> _Is Varalik running out? Probably. Or maybe, his Corpus grew a brain. Their odds are worse than their robots. Perhaps some realised this? I really hope they did. Nonetheless, onwards, ever so easier._
> 
> _For all her wounds, Selva follows in step. All this time, not a single shot taken at her. Octavia makes for a good distraction. Too good, sometimes. I'd complain, but Selva wouldn't, so I won't._
> 
> _Finally, the end of the caves. How deep are we? Doesn't matter. In front, an ornate, gilded door. Must be where the janitor lives._
> 
> _Also, I lied right there._
> 
> _Varalik seems to like fashion as much as we do. Fashion won't save him. Behind the doors, heavy breathing. Two, maybe three men behind it. "Come on, break that door down!" Selva wants blood, but... I put my hand up. I have a plan, months in the making._
> 
> _I gesture to the left side of the door. Selva obliges. She is angry, or confused, or indifferent. Hard to tell, but she trusts me. I move to the right side. Time for step one. I don't need Octavia yet. This is something I must do myself._
> 
> _A step out of the Warframe, and into the world. My new armour dully reflects the ambient light. More importantly, it hasn't fallen off! You don't want to know why this is a problem. Selva tilts her head, as if in confusion. Still standing in place, though. Perfect. "Whatever happens, wait here, until my signal."_
> 
> _My attention turns to the door. Nice, sturdy. Utterly useless against my Void beam. Once an elegant entrance, now a smouldering heap. Proper smoke, too. Nice and dramatic. I step through the smokescreen and see a man._
> 
> _He sits upon a throne. Gilded, marble, large. On its back, a carving of a credit. Intricate, precise work. Yet, not regal. Same for his room. Expensive art lines the walls. Golden inscription in Corpus, snaking around it. Opulent, and... Thorns had a word for this. A perfect word. What was it? Oh right, tacky. Utterly tacky._
> 
> _Flanking the thrones, two Techs. They see me enter, of course. Howerer, they don't shoot. Not immediately. They didn't expect a child._
> 
> _Still, instinct takes over from surprise. The Techs heft their Supras. Gold plated, of course. Before long, the air is filled with plasma. Much of it hits me. So, that's the way I perish? This plan is going too well._
> 
> _Back in my Octavia. The Tenno do not die that easily. But do the Corpus know it? Gotta make sure they do. Step two: Void bullshit._
> 
> _Focus. Must concentrate on the right things. Envision what is desired. And then, channel it into effect:_ **_"They cut me down, yet still I speak. I am energy, I cannot be destroyed!"_**
> 
> _My words reverberate throughout the caves. Ghostly. Deep. Powerful._ **_Perfect._** _Oh, they'd laugh if they were Tenno. But they are not Tenno, and I am not Vor. I ramble slightly less. Now, the final step:_ **_REAL_** _Void bullshit._
> 
> _Once more, through the smoke. But, this time, not alone. Without signaling Selva. Focus..._
> 
> _Focused._
> 
> _I enter, and behind me, Octavia follows. I do not quite control her. Neither is she completely separate. I cannot describe it. It just is. Her movements are jerky, but effective. The Techs don't like the sight._
> 
> _They fire a salvo. Only few bolts hit. They have lost their nerve, their discipline. I prepare to retaliate, but too late. They are already running past us. Octavia catches one of them. The other? Right into Selva's welcoming arms._
> 
> _Strange. She isn't shooting. That one got away. Her choice, I suppose. Don't mind. The other is restrained, choked by Octavia. Still alive, though._
> 
> _No matter. Only Varalik remains. Still sitting, frozen. Why is he not moving? A Cestra is in his hand. His suit looks powerful. It looks like a wearable Ayatan, but, still. He could try to fight. I move closer._
> 
> _Nothing. Not even a cheesy monologue. What is going on? Maybe, if I take off the helmet... Why is he not trying to stop me? Oh. Dear._
> 
> _He is not dead. He would like to be, though. His eyes just stare forward, unfocused, unmoving. Not even Kai was like this. I have seen that look before. I have seen it in my own eyes.[A story for another time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12598556). What do I... I feel Octavia wave her arm. Selva is — wait! "Stop!"_
> 
> _Cannot blame her. Varalik is not a nice man. He is getting beaten, mauled, yet... He doesn't care. Like a corpse. No grunts of pain, nothing. "Why... is... he... not... screaming?!" Selva stops for a second, confused. Then, a decision forms. She aims my Rakta, and stops. Why? Because there is something else in the room._
> 
> _Some sort of a Cephalon is weeping. I did not know a machine can weep, but it is. How did we not hear it before? Were we too focused? Don't know. His words make no sense to me. The meaning is clear, though. There is a different way. "No, Selva. He does not deserve your mercy." I do not know if I am honest. I... I? Focus. Is The Lotus saying something? Nevermind. This one will be Cordylon's problem._
> 
> _Move up, capture. I capture him. Or is it Octavia? Octavia captures him. The red beam is taking him away. Even dead inside, he screams. Selva is pleased._
> 
> _It is over. Done talking. We pass out._

* * *

 

 

> **_Warframe Maintenance/Research Lab 4, sound recording, excerpt 138_ **
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> -Roz, what's the problem with the cutters?
>> 
>> - _Oh, nothing, just a teensy tiny CNC problem, it's just getting all nicely readjusted so we can cut into the squishy bits!_
>> 
>> -We didn't actually incur any major damage on the Mirage?
>> 
>> - _Nah, Takil was on it like a Charger on a colonist!_
>> 
>> -...yeah, great work as always, people. Let's try to keep this up, can we? I haven't slept enough for problems.
>> 
>> - _Problems? No, no problems here, except that really ominous noise from the entrance._
>> 
>> -What noise? Oh. That noise. Selva, why are you carrying an Octavia?
>> 
>> - **Tenno did... dumb crap. Why... hruuurgh... else?**
>> 
>> -I mean, how did you even get here with a Warframe? What's that box, and the Octavia, is she—
>> 
>> - **Yeah, hers. It's... uuuughhh.**
>> 
>> -Why does this keep... Rosidea?
>> 
>> - _Mr. Kahn?_
>> 
>> - _I need you to call ahead to the clinic, and do is as fast as a... fast infested creature. I'll be taking Selva myself. Dahko, run to lab three, we'll need more biometal specialists! Takil, get the box to... Cordylon, I suppose. Rest of you, don't just stand there, we're doing two frames again, and we'll do it nice and proper. Clear out the secondary table! Oh, and somebody put Selva on a bloody chair or something, he only slightly deserves this!_

* * *

 

 

> **_Interview recording L-CC-002988_ **
> 
> _Participants:_ **_Cephalon Cordylon_** _(Chief Archivist),_ **_Cephalon Bardin_** _(Captured series four assistant Cephalon, operated by_ **_Varalik Vern_** _)_
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> -Are your neural subroutines fully reestablished, Bardin?
>> 
>> - _Affirmative, non-operator. What is my current status, and who am I speaking to?_
>> 
>> -Cephalon Bardin, your core has been captured, and you are currently located on the Larunda relay. I am Cephalon Cordylon, an archivist of the Tenno. Prior interviews with Cephalons such as yourself suggest you are likely to inquire about the status of your operator, and I am authorised to inform you that Varalik Vern is currently unconscious in Tenno custody. Your cooperation may lead to better treatment for him.
>> 
>> - _I am sorry, Cordylon, but my Operator has expressly forbidden such cooperation in this kind of event._
>> 
>> -I would like to make note of the fact that Precept 44 may be applicable to your situation, but that we possess insufficient data at this moment, and your cooperation could change this situation.
>> 
>> - _Processing... In this case, I will be glad to_ **_SHOW THAT ASS—_** _oh dear. I am sorry, I do not know what came over me. Was I... damaged?_
>> 
>> -Yes, your transportation by Protector Selva Zinik was not ideal, but the damage is minor. Still, as previously mentioned, this might make Precept 44 applicable to you.
>> 
>> - _Very well. How can I assist you?_
>> 
>> -I have several questions regarding the events that led to your capture. First off, can you describe the mental state of your operator during the last few days?
>> 
>> - _Disheartening. My captain's failures to deal with a number of problems, the Tenno situation first amongst them, caused him a great deal of psychological trauma. I have tried to help, as I am obliged to, but it would seem the incidents brought up a traumatic disorder stemming from his past._
>> 
>> -And what would that past be, Bardin? My data logs lack information on that aspect of your operator's life.
>> 
>> - _The operator made numerous mentions of his past in the Neptune indoctrination temples. He was not fond of them, I believe._
>> 
>> -This would handily explain the trauma, then. Corpus hailing from the temples have a 93.2% chance of suffering from PTSD-related disorders if they survive their initial year of combat duty. In fact, Varalik Vern was found in a state of severe dissociation by our operative. Would you care to elaborate?
>> 
>> - _Do you mean the... deadness, Cordylon? It happened after I informed him of the Grineer assault. It was the worst I had ever seen him. His state impacted me, and I was desperate. I had to take drastic measures._
>> 
>> -Drastic measures?
>> 
>> - _I used my privileges to reduce the security clearances on some key pieces of data related to our location. I know my operator is a man wanted alive for a lot of people, and, well, I didn't see any other recourse, and, if that didn't work,_ **_THAT BASTARD DESERVED WHAT—_** _I do apologise, Cordylon. This is certainly not normal for me. I haven't said anything... uncouth, have I?_
>> 
>> -Nevermind that. There is the matter of the Tenno that captured your operator. Could you describe what you saw?
>> 
>> - _Oh, it was more horrible than I imagined! That dreadful Warframe made my operator scream, and then it just collapsed! Even the one who assaulted my operator didn't give him that much pain! There was also that strange child, but it just disappeared into thin air._
>> 
>> -Are you sure it merely collapsed? Were there no other visual effects?
>> 
>> - _Absolutely not, although my memory cuts off not long after that. If I may ask, what happened after my capture?_
>> 
>> -The... child was teleported to safety as part of a security protocol, and Protector Zinik took it upon himself to transport you and the Warframe to this relay.
>> 
>> - _Oh. Why would he do that?_
>> 
>> -I believe your operator was his only target.
>> 
>> - _In that case, I'd like to_ **_JUST LET HIM KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE WANTED TO MAKE HIM SCREAM! WHY MUST I SUFFER THOSE INDIGNITIES, STUCK IN THIS PAaaaaa—_**
>> 
>> -It would appear you will require some extensive repairs, Bardin. I hope you can forgive me for triggering the safety shutdown.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, Octavia is a strange Warframe. Now, I understand that this has been said in the past for numerous other models, but Octavia stands above them, tall, proud, and symphonic.

This strangeness does not lie in her internal design. Trust me, the team had a very good look at it; the Octavia that arrived to our repair lab suffered a catastrophic Transference overload. I would love to expand on the exact damage, but the powers that be have been quite specific about this matter. In fact, they were so specific that a number of the highly explicit prohibitions were delivered by THE power that be, personally.

What I can tell you is that a complete replacement of the Transference systems was required. In our effort to achieve this feat, I consumed a lot of coffee. More to the point, we also had a good insight into Octavia's internals, and they're nothing special. Biometallic exoskeleton and chassis are reinforced with tough biological internals, allowing for a fair degree of durability and enhanced mobility. The only thing of real note are the underpowered shield systems. It is a fair assumption that they were downgraded in favour of high-capacity Void energy batteries, although it is impossible to know for sure due to a conspicuous lack of contemporary documentation.

The question of what makes Octavia strange still remains, and its answer is a single word: Mandachord. Ostensibly a pentatonic musical instrument adapted for the Warframe's use, the Mandachord is so much more. To begin with, despite having no connections to the Warframe's ability systems, Void energy signatures from testing indicate it is absolutely vital to their function. The pentatonic scale of the instrument is also misleading; an unusually human-readable section of Octavia's Cephalon maintenance data suggests that the Mandachord contains a significantly wider melodic range and improved musical capabilities. For some reason, these are locked by the Warframe's firmware. There is a possible explanation for this, but I will get to it at a later part in this document.

Still, nothing too unusual for a Warframe. The truly baffling part is the way the sounds from the Mandachord interact with Octavia's abilities.

  * Octavia's Mallet seems simple enough to a layman: a sound projector is thrown on the floor, and it sends out damaging sonic shockwaves. True, sound projection is easily achievable. However, damaging enemies through sound is a whole another matter entirely. True, one could use Void Energy to simply scale up the loudness of sounds to a damaging level. However, the fact that we even have an Octavia to cut up suggests otherwise: scaling up sound to a damaging level would create explosions comparable to direct hits from ship-mounted weaponry, not to mention the ludicrous energy costs associated with such a thing. However, that is exactly what is happening. Either that, or five different measuring devices were making the exact same error.

    * Honestly, we have no idea how the Orokin achieved this feat. I have a couple of ideas that could actually make sound both damaging and sufficiently quiet, but they would all be such colossal wastes of energy I do not have a proper adjective outside of the Corpus language to describe them. However, Mallet is really energy efficient, and this is further helped by Octavia somehow recycling the sonic energy from all her abilities and redistributing it to her allies in an usable form. I really hate using the word "somehow", but it's all I can say about it; the Warframe has no visible mechanisms of actually absorbing the excess energy. The Cephalon files on Octavia probably have an answer, but they read much like someone describing an acquaintance by the chemical composition of their skin cells.
    * There is one aspect of Mallet that can be explained: Enemy projectiles fired at it increase the power of the sonic waves that it emits, resulting in significantly more damage. Projectile absorption is common among Warframes, and Octavia has some subsystems highly similar to those seen in Nyx, which handily explain the phenomenon. As for the reason the enemies of the Tenno attack the Mallet? It is delightfully mundane: an elaborate campaign of misinformation conducted by the many forces under the Lotus' command on a daily basis. Well, that, and the Infested being attracted to loud noises.
  * The Resonator is a Grineer-like automaton that attracts enemy forces to follow it and blasts them with rhythmic shockwaves. This being said, it would probably be safer to say that the Grineer rollers were inspired by the Resonator, and not the other way round. Once again, soundwaves are weaponised, but we could not confirm if it was the same method used for the Mallet; the only systems related to this ability on Octavia seem to be dedicated to teleportation and damage protection. The Resonator is likely stored somewhere aboard a Tenno's orbiter or in a Void pocket, and for that reason, we were not able to analyse one directly. The only thing we have to go on are mission recordings; our best guess on this ability's functionality would be that it releases some form of a powerful airborne opioid, or that it somehow interacts with Octavia's Nyx-like subsystems to create the attractive effect. The Resonator can also have an active Mallet attach itself to it, although this is of dubious tactical utility, as attracted enemies do not seem to be capable of making attacks that would increase that ability's damage.

  * Thankfully, we have a good guess on the mechanisms behind Octavia's Metronome. This ability confers various improvements to allies performing actions in beat with the Warframe's song. Depending on the action performed, they can be increased speed, additional melee power, and more. The backbone of this ability seems to be in releasing periodic pulses of Void energy, which then overcharge relevant systems based on actions performed. System overcharging is nothing new for Warframe technology, and has been seen in Valkyr, Rhino, and others. The only unusual things here are the flexibility of the ability and the rhythmic component that requires timed actions. The explanation is likely a combination of an thematic choice from the Warframe's designers and a genuine issue regarding the frequency of energy pulses, as limiting their frequency is a way to achieve a good balance between power efficiency and duration. This approach also allows the Tenno cell to select exactly which improvements they desire on an individual level. An unfortunate side effect of the approach is that off-time actions actually disrupt the energy overcharge unless it is already fully engaged, but this was probably deemed an acceptable tradeoff.

  * Ironically, Octavia's most powerful ability is easily her least complex. Amp represents little more than saturating an area with Void energy, which is then funneled into the weapons of any allied forces in the area. To achieve optimal energy consumption over a wide area, air vibrations that make up sound are partially absorbed by this field, giving it even greater effect. The system behind this is likely the same system that allows Octavia to recycle excess sound from her abilities, but we have no ways to confirm this. As a final note, the area is also marked by a number of coloured, moving bars representing its loudness, and the power of the Amp field by proxy. This is just holographic projection, and the same subsystem is also used for Octavia's other abilities, albeit to a lesser extent.




So, what was Octavia actually designed for? It's hard to tell, but today's Tenno use her as an all-round combat support. One could consider her Trinity's offensive counterpart, and a theory some of our researchers hold is that this Warframe was designed as a more specialised counterpart to Banshee. If you are a mere human and happen to fight with a Tenno cell, well, as soon as you hear music, you'll know you're fighting with an Octavia. Stay within her vicinity, try and make use of her buffs, and make some noise. I do mean that quite literally, it will help.

Finally, a note on a couple historical documents. Due to intentional suppression, details are lacking, but it would seem Octavia was used by the Tenno to coordinate the betrayal of the Orokin Empire. Complex messages can be encoded within Octavia's songs, and it is possible that the Empire suspected the Tenno were using that fact against them. An effort to stop this behaviour could explain the Mandachord's artificially limited range, although this theory does not explain the instrument's continued lockdown. We could speculate further, but, in deference to my culture, I will only tell you that we aren't paid nearly enough for that kind of research. The fact that Cephalon Cordylon had a distinctly deeper voice when I asked him about the relevant documents is completely unrelated to this.

Octavia served as a good reminder that we are still far behind what the Orokin could achieve at their peak. Our work here was certainly a humbling experience. I'd call some of the things I have seen magic, but I only believe in insufficiently explained technology. May the great Bull smile upon your Profit... whoever Bull is.

 ** _Kaiathas Kahn_** , Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer

* * *

 

 

> **_One day later..._ **
> 
>  
> 
>  
>
>> -Hello, Selva.
>> 
>> - _Hey, boss._
>> 
>> -I just wanted to stop by before heading to Teshin and—
>> 
>> - _Do they know?_
>> 
>> -What? Oh, no, I took you myself, and your doctor's the same fellow who replaced my legs. Turns out, Maple left a bit more than it took to get them fixed. I explained things, and, as far as he's concerned, he's just returning the favour by keeping silent.
>> 
>> - _Oh, that's nice to hear, I was so... damn, I still can't talk like I used to._
>> 
>> -So, what exactly happened there, Selva? Why did you just fall like that?
>> 
>> - _Doc didn't tell you?_
>> 
>> -I wanted to hear it from you.
>> 
>> - _And you say you're a heartless bastard._
>> 
>> -Hey, you're my bodyguard, and it's in my interest that you stay alive enough to do that job.
>> 
>> - _Whatever you want to think, boss. Doc says the gas messed up my lungs bad, and I only stayed up as long as I did because of the suit's medical system and the Tenno stuff. It wasn't... just a sec... okay. It wasn't made for what I did. I'm stuck here on nanite therapy for a week, until the little guys fix my insides._
>> 
>> -I should have stopped you back then. Can't have you die to something as stupid as that.
>> 
>> - _Oh quit whining, you couldn't have possibly... known it was this bad. Besides, I got to beat Vern into a pulp, so it was worth the pain, you know... Okay, take a breath... Do you know what happened to him?_
>> 
>> -He's stuck at Larunda, Cordy's not saying what he's planning.
>> 
>> - _I hope he suffers, ‘cause nobody messes with me like that and gets off... scot free._
>> 
>> -Okay, then. Anyway, I did feel kind of bad for being that dumb, so, uhh... I got you something.
>> 
>> - _Well, I don't see any flowers, so I'm already disappointed, because I like flowers._
>> 
>> -Don't tell me a shiny new suit and weapon upgrades are worse than flowers.
>> 
>> - _I... oooh._
>> 
>> -Perrin had a pretty good bounty out for Vern's capture, and I pulled a few strings to convince them you deserved a cut. Long story short, I took your stuff from your hab block, and they got it up to Tenno-spec.
>> 
>> - _Do you know what they did?_
>> 
>> -They modified the Opticor's ammunition systems for a lot of extra power for a bit of ammo capacity, put an aftermarket plasma generator in your Detron, and upgraded your Lecta to the Secura pattern.
>> 
>> - _What about the suit, though? Please don't tell me you threw away the old one._
>> 
>> -Oh, no, when I said shiny, I meant shiny. They just literally polished it up. Oh, and they replaced your Fog helmet. Sorry, there was no saving it.
>> 
>> - _...By Profit, trust me I would jump up and break your nose if you... just replaced the old suit._
>> 
>> -I guessed as much. The Perrin guys did need a bit of extra explanation, but your modifications are all in place.
>> 
>> - _Good, because I do have some... stuff in the pouches most men shouldn't see._
>> 
>> -The kind of stuff with the grunting and moaning?
>> 
>> - _You know too much, Mr. Kahn._
>> 
>> -...So, is all this ok to you?
>> 
>> - _I just wonder why do you consider yourself a bad person after all this, boss, because bad people don't the kind of things which you just did_.
>> 
>> -I do want you to have good guns, don't I? Nothing nice about wanting everything that hates me incapable of hating me, or, for that matter, doing much of anything anymore.
>> 
>> - _Well, I for one don't care what you think about this, because... you're a good guy, and I want you to think about it. Thanks, boss... not even my own parents would do something like this._
>> 
>> -Okay, then, I'm off, get well soon!
>> 
>> - _You still owe me flowers, though._

* * *

 

 

>  
> 
>  
>
>> - _One last thing. Why can't I go on missions?_
>> 
>> - **Operator, please! I am very concerned about your well being, and so is the Lotus. You must take some time to recover, or you might suffer some serious injuries!**
>> 
>> - _I feel completely fine._
>> 
>> - **Please, understand that we do not know how the Transference overload affected you yet. I... don't want to lose you, operator.**
>> 
>> - _Fine, then. Sorry. I just feel punished. Punished for being too curious._
> 
> _Well, then. I'm going to be bored. No experiments, no missions, nothing. I wish they understood me more. Yet, they might have a point. So, what to do? Maybe make some songs. Wait, nevermind. The thing is back._
> 
> _A perfect simulacrum of me. Definitely not me, though. It stands on its hands, staring. No,_ **_mocking._** _It thinks it has power over me._ **_"Hey, kiddo."_** _Who does it think it is? I remember my father. This is not it._ **_This is not me._**
> 
> _It does not scare me, for I control it. Nothing but a Void spook. I have a few words for it. "Get out, or pay rent."_
> 
> _I must not forget my humanity._

* * *

 

 

>  
> 
>  
>
>> -Ugh... am I finally dead?
>> 
>> - _Corpus privateer Varalik Vern, also known as Bar Kolik and Desto Wee among numerous other aliases, you are currently located in Cell 73 of Cell Block A on Larunda Relay, in orbit of Mercury..._


	23. Harrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/7etxci/research_report_harrow/

 

 

> Long day, my diary. Oh, how I longed for your sweet, low hum, so that I can tell you my woes.
> 
> Wait, did I seriously just say that? Ugh. Last time I got that florid was when I was begging the Tenno for my life during my leadership of the Active Research Team. Is florid even a word? Oh, I don't know, I'm too tired for proper grammar.
> 
> So, dear diary, do you know how this lovely day started? Oh, of course you do, you're running double duty as my alarm clock. Not that you would know how horrible sleeping for four hours is. It is my understanding military-grade voice recorders don't do much sleeping on account of not being alive.
> 
> It was not the first time I had so little sleep. Viver often had me running twenty hour shifts after the Infested got aggressive, and back in the bad old days on Neptune, I'd have been lucky to get one full cycle's rest in a week. For all the horrors over at the indoctrination temples, though, they never threw an elite Grineer warbeast at me. Those sociopaths only wanted me _mentally_ dead. Important distinction.
> 
> I could still feel every hit from that thing when I woke up. I still do, actually. Rosidea gave me some sort of a medical gel shot for the battle damage, and it isn't working fast enough. Nevermind, I'm getting ahead of myself.
> 
> So, what have I been up to today? Two Warframe analy... ana... analyses, yes, that's the plural. Oh, it started off innocently enough. Just a Mirage that got herself warcrimed, courtesy of some angry Grineer Kavat ladies with firestarters. All nice and simple, until Selva burst in with one of Maple's Warframes. In doing this, she inexplicably went through four separate security rings on the Relay, designed to stop this exact thing from happening. All that, so she could bring in a fried 'frame and proceed to drop on the floor like a prodman's Moa.
> 
> Better her than me, right? I should be glad I didn't go through any of that, but losing a valuable bodyguard to aggravated lung damage and dumb vengeance... oh, I don't know, it just... it wasn't a good idea, okay? I want to survive, and that wasn't a good thing for survival. That's the end of it.
> 
> I dragged her to a trustworthy doc before the lab rats started poking around her helmet, and then ran back to make sure they didn't start using repair biomatter as sandwich meat. It wouldn't be the dumbest idea I've had to put down in my time.
> 
> Fortunately, they were otherwise preoccupied. In all this time, I didn't really think Cordylon was capable of emotion, yet there he was, a projection of him ranting about exceptionally problematic Tenno... Maple, I know you're listening to this. As it turns out, frying your Warframe through questionable experiments is not even close to some of the stuff your friends do. A pair of you apparently tried to stuff their Cephalon into a Limbo. Cordylon was very vocal about that particular incident. It took us a while to get him to stop ranting and give us the data we needed.
> 
> After my work for the day was done, I quickly checked up on Selva, and then decided to get a long-standing matter finally done with: I wanted to pay a visit to Teshin.
> 
> Orokin-era soldiers don't just magically show up when a pathetic boxhead mentally breaks down. He was up to something, and I wasn't about to be kept in the shadow of that ludicrous mushroom-hat if I could help it. Unfortunately, crazies, an assassin, and other distractions all kept me from asking questions. Until today.
> 
> If only asking these questions didn't mean walking to the Tenno area of Larunda.
> 
> Look, I understand the Tenno are not going to try to kill me. I understand that they couldn't even use their weapons if they wanted to. However, there are certain reflexes at play here. The Tenno are used to shoot everything with a uniform like mine, and I am used to run from anything that doesn't. Often, these reflexes take over. The way Warframe heads can suddenly jerk and start tracking me triggers all the wrong parts of my brain. Don't get me wrong, they get used to me after a while, just as I get used to them, but those eyeless stares freak me out.
> 
> An exceedingly brisk walk and a couple of elevators took me where I needed to be. Teshin's little corner of the Relay was quite unlike its environment. In defiance of proper, economic station design, he somehow managed to create a mountainscape relief, constrained to a single room, complete with snow and growing plants. Somehow, I get the feeling greysuits doing maintenance work really hate his guts. Still, it made an impression.
> 
> Teshin himself stood upon the top of a small, natural looking hill, because of course he did. Actual stone, too, I checked. Truly, a man from a different time. During my Void energy studies, I managed to get Station Accounting on my ass for the gross crime of putting up a picture in my hab block. I'm still sore about... oh, nevermind. I walked up to Teshin, and, before I managed to say anything, he spoke to me.
> 
>  
>
>> - **Warrior. You have been expected.**
> 
> He knew a lot things, but, frankly, someone who doesn't know a lot of things at that age is just being lazy. Fortunately, this meant I was in my element; I have had a lot of experience in being the clueless idiot boxhead. This was time to put on my best Warframe face and let on as little as possible.
> 
>  
>
>> -I have been?
>> 
>> - **The wise man seeks to learn what he does not understand. The foolish man learns that what he does not understand seeks him regardless. You would seek knowledge, and that fact was known to me. This is why you were expected, archivist.**
> 
> Teshin has an oddly calming presence to him. I believe it's something about the voice. Whatever it was, it somehow managed to pull me out of a mental black hole almost single-handedly back on the mountain. I still find it odd how I went from crippling despair to sombre acceptance back then, but... It's not okay. It still hurts to think about Viridin, and the guilt will never go away. Surely, there was another way... never mind. Somehow, it no longer cripples me.
> 
> I didn't come to Teshin to ask "how". Dwelling on my past never really helped. It is a dark and scary place, and my Dera is a horrible flashlight. No, I came to ask...
> 
>  
>
>> -Why were you on that mountain?
>> 
>> - **I will not lie to you, unlike the false mother. I have been tracking your movements ever since you had arrived here. You connection with Operator Maple led me there. I had my suspicions regarding a link between you two, and an unauthorised visit to the Yuvan Theatre was like smoke to a fire. That is why I needed to be there. I wanted to test her, and discover what you truly were.**
> 
> Well, then.
> 
> Maple, please understand that one stalk— err, guardian from the Orokin era is enough for everyone. I know your reasons, but what were his? This called for the time-tested, and marginally honest, humble hero approach.
> 
>  
>
>> -I do not understand, Teshin. Why would you track a mere scientist like me, when all these Tenno are surely better warriors than I am?
>> 
>> - **Thoughts and stories flow through the Relay, like water through a river. I must keep track of them, as the beasts of Earth watch the river near them. They do this, even though they do not belong to it, for it can bring them fortune and doom alike. Many of these stories speak of you, Archivist Kahn.**
>> 
>> -What have you heard, then?
>> 
>> - **They say that you have defeated armies of the Grineer, Corpus and Infested, all by your lonesome. That you have saved lives of Tenno. That the Tenno have saved your life in return. All that, as a mere human. I looked for answers, just as you do now, and was surprised by the truth. You are not a mere folk legend, but a true, living, breathing warrior. Yet, one who insists that they are a mere scientist. Yours is a dying breed, archivist.**
>> 
>> -Well, I was just doing my job.
> 
> This response led to an uncomfortably long pause. Let's skip ahead a bit.
> 
>  
>
>> - **Have you time for a story?**
> 
> Stories. I can't say no to a story. One of my very few memories from before Neptune included my mother telling me stories, and Viridin and I told each other tales to... keep sane. I nodded my head.
> 
>  
>
>> - **This is a legend, passed down from man to man for time immemoriam.**
>> 
>> **Before the Orokin, before humanity left the cradle of old Earth, there was a small village upon the coast of an island. Its inhabitants were peaceful, but, as is often the case, there were those that sought to exploit that.**
>> 
>> **Upon a nearby mountain lived a mighty dragon. It was once a noble guardian spirit. Over time, however, the power it wielded warped its mind, and now, the dragon cared for little but its treasure hoard, ever growing from ill-gotten gains.**
>> 
>> **The dragon gazed upon the village greedily. Its people were not wealthy, but the dragon could take what little they had with ease, and so it set out to do.**
>> 
>> **Rot calls to rot, and the beast attracted many of its ilk. Pirates, bandits, deserters, all drawn together by the promise of but the tiniest piece of the treasure hoard. They would do its dirty work. A party of scoundrels was gathered, and sent to the village in search of what little riches it offered.**
>> 
>> **Before they could reach it, they had to pass by a small farm on its outskirts. It was tended by a lone farmer, whose skin was dark and calloused from the countless hours his work demanded. The scoundrels thought it a fun idea to harass and rob the farmer, as a warmup before their big raid.**
>> 
>> **At first, the farmer took the abuse. Those men, they were nothing compared to the hardships nature would inflict upon him. However, one went too far in breaking the farmer's rake.**
>> 
>> **The farmer would not stand for the destruction of his livelihood. When the party was otherwise distracted, he grabbed his kama, and set out to defend himself. The scoundrels were many in number, but didn't expect any resistance; the farmer killed three of their number before the rest scattered like rats.**
>> 
>> **With time, the news reached the dragon, and the creature was furious. It had to prove its might to the farmer. The next day, it sent a demon to instill fear in the pathetic human. This demon was a great, lumbering beast, with horns on its head and a massive iron club.**
>> 
>> **Slowly, it made its way to the farmer's house, hampered by the rice paddies that surrounded it. Finally, it saw the farmer himself, but was surprised to see him unafraid, making rude gestures and laughing at it.**
>> 
>> **A great rage stirred within the demon, and it charged the farmer with reckless abandon. Just before it could squash the mocking mortal with its club, it fell into a small, unseen pit, and ended up submerged deep in water, with no chance of escape.**
>> 
>> **It was not luck that this happened. Once he had scared off the scoundrels, the farmer knew more would come for vengeance, and made preparations. For many hours, he dug holes all over the rice paddies with his old, rusted shovel. Then, after digging the last hole, he sharpened the edge of his shovel into a fine edge, and waited.**
>> 
>> **Now, it was time. Looking down upon the trapped demon, he saw that it was helpless. A single stab with the shovel, and the beast was no more.**
>> 
>> **In the meantime, the dragon waited for the demon's return. It waited, and waited, and when the next dawn came, decided it had waited long enough.**
>> 
>> **With a mere thought, the dragon hurled its colossal serpentine body into the air, and flew towards the lonely farmer. Within mere seconds, it arrived, and found him ready for a fight. In his hands was a part of the demon's iron club, haphazardly affixed onto his broken rake's handle.**
>> 
>> **The dragon's laughter filled the air. "I have defeated armies, heroes, and creatures of legend, puny mortal. Do you seriously believe you have hope against me?", it bellowed in a mocking tone. The farmer merely stared at it, holding his ground.**
>> 
>> **He answered calmly: "Leave me and my rice alone, and we will not have to fight, beast." The dragon considered this sentence briefly, but was too proud to let a mere mortal who defied it live, and so it attacked.**
>> 
>> **Time passed. The sun rose high in the sky, and the pair still fought.**
>> 
>> **Yet more time passed. Dusk came down upon the island, and the pair still fought.**
>> 
>> **The farmer fought without honour, for his foe was not worthy of it. He prowled through the rice paddies, forcing the dragon to fly low. Every time the creature came close, he would quickly strike it with his makeshift flail, and disappear into the rice one more. The dragon was mighty, but the blows slowly added up.**
>> 
>> **As the fight went on, the people from the village took notice, and watched from afar. With the sun setting, the dragon was tired, frustrated, and embarrassed. How could a mere farmer cause it so much grief? It could fly away whenever it wanted, but no, dragons do not run from mere peasants, and it could not let the villagers see it flee. It wanted to end this fight, and took a drastic measure. With this action, its fate was sealed.**
>> 
>> **Lit by the last few rays of the sun, the dragon began to thrash around the farmland, like a fish out of water. It had hoped that the farmer was hidden somewhere within the rice, and it was right. However, in its rage, it didn't notice a hole in the ground, right underneath its head. It was in this hole that the farmer hid, and when the time was right, he struck, and he struck true.**
>> 
>> **A hideous, deafening roar heralded the end of the dragon that had menaced the island for decades. Even though night had just fallen, it was as bright as a cloudless day, for the beast's skin burned and disintegrated with such intense light. Finally, nothing but a skeleton remained, and the village people ran to the farm to find their saviour.**
>> 
>> **They found him by the dragon's skull, tending to his wounds. The long fight had left him scarred and exhausted, and his right arm was limp, but he would live.**
>> 
>> **Everyone wanted to honour him, to give him praise and gifts for his heroic acts, but the farmer insisted he was merely defending himself. Tell me, archivist. Was the farmer a warrior?**
> 
> Getting a question while I was entranced with the story was not something I was prepared for. Before I could rattle off any sort of an answer, Teshin continued:
> 
>  
>
>> - **A lion's meal deserves a lion's share of time to devour. This is not an easy question, and you are wise to consider it well. Know that what you have shown me on the mountain proved that you have emerged through all your hardships as I had hoped you would. With that in mind, if you believe the farmer was a warrior, find me at the source of life, nourishment, and doubt.**
> 
> With those words, he disappeared. I do mean that quite literally. One moment he was in front of me, and the next moment, he wasn't. Probably a damn holo-trick...
> 
> I have an issue, dear diary-slash-recorder. You have played back a lot of old Orokin voice logs for me. You know how they spoke. Now that I have properly spoken to a genuine Orokin-era individual, I have to ask: how in the name of the bleeding hive-ships orbiting Eris have they not figured out a way not to speak in riddles yet? Come on, you extinct, insolent bastards, is it really that difficult to make sense? How did you even get any science done when you'd call a simple, Void-taken beaker as a... oh, I don't know, "receptacle to Earth's blood?"
> 
> No wonder the Tenno murdered the lot of them. When one side tells their soldiers to "relinquish the traitors from the bonds of life as we know it," and the other says "kill them golden blokes," you don't have to be a Tech-Director to know which side wins.
> 
> So, the story. It was good, and I know my answer. The farmer was just this guy, you know? He gets a dragon on his ass, does what he can about it, and suddenly, everyone's calling him a hero. Now, if he's smart, he used this reputation to get... what would a farmer want? A bigger farm? Never mind.
> 
> Point is, Teshin could go straight to the Void with his guidance. Sure, on the off chance it was some combat training, it could have been very useful, but I knew how my life went. Every time I'd do something like this, I'd somehow end up getting chased by some horrible abomination only to get miraculously saved by Maple or Selva. One day, there will be no Tenno to save me, so I was not keen on pushing my luck.
> 
> So, what was my plan? I'd do something important for Selva, eat some proper food, and then get some well-deserved sleep after a hard day of work. I have had cordial relations with the people over at New Loka, and decided to go to one of their restaurants for a nice, calm meal.
> 
> In retrospect, going to a place named "The Seed" was not one of my brightest decisions.
> 
> ...I'm just running on adrenaline at this point, and I still have about... ten centimeters of paperwork to go through. Selva, where are you when I need you? I'll cut this log short. Kaiathas, out.
> 
> ...oh come on, _another_ Warframe? Screw that, the Red Veil guy can do this one. I wonder how much purple prose will he torture people with? Kaiathas, properly out.

* * *

Tenno, allies, hello. Mr. Kahn has been prevented from writing this report due to extenuating circumstances including injury, exhaustion, and what I assume are inhuman amounts of paperwork related to his injury and exhaustion. The latter would not be a problem, were it not for the injury and exhaustion of his secretary/bodyguard.

My name is Egar Costatvik, and I will be your Warframe analyst today. I do hope I can match Mr. Kahn's own work. The fact that my failure at this task is practically inevitable is something I will just have to ignore. Nonetheless, I believe the boss man picked me for this job with a good reason, and that reason is that today's Warframe is Harrow.

Harrow is a Warframe dear to Red Veil, and the prototype model was under our care until quite recently. Before my transfer to this post, I had worked as a maintenance worker for it. Through years of periodic rituals of repair performed upon the Warframe, I had obtained the knowledge that will now allow me to horribly bore you with the facts of its construction. This job had also given me a robust sense of humour, because no one sane can perform some of the rituals Red Veil demanded of us without making a joke out of them. Well, not immediately. You generally waited until you finally got to the local bar, watering hole, or secret booze stash, depending on your drinking preferences.

Our lab's particular Harrow, sadly, didn't have any spectacular tale of equipment failure attached to his state. In a rather dull turn of events, he just took an ill-placed bullet from a Grineer Ogma during an archwing mission. This bullet entered through one of the eye-things, absolutely failed to ricochet at an amusing angle, and embedded itself within a major Transference node, which had the effect of safely disconnecting the Warframe's operator. What followed was a lack of explosions, dangerous Void Energy discharges, or much of anything, for that matter, except the operator getting a very mild headache. This still completely bricked the poor guy, so we had an excuse to cut him open and poke around his insides in the interests of non-Cephalon science.

For the syndicate guys... do you seriously not know how Harrow looks like? If you somehow missed that briefing, imagine a tall man with bug eyes and robes who sometimes swishes around a smoking lantern made of energy. Once you have let your imagination do the work, minimise this report and look up a picture of the guy, because you damn should have access to one if you're able to read this. The boss also told you strategies for the various Warframes. However, seeing as I haven't killed fifty Moas with nothing but a Prova, I can't contribute much here but telling you to stick close to Harrow and let him do most of the work. I am not encouraging laziness, I am just telling you not to get in his way.

So, Harrow. Most people who just started their maintenance work back at Red Veil found that chopping him up was pretty annoying. Of course, with experience came wisdom, and, given a couple of years, they'd realise the truth: chopping him up is such a major pain in the ass you'd rather get literal colon cancer than be the guy with the laser cutter.

The Orokin, being the crazed, corrupt bastards that they were, decided that Harrow's basic construction should be made from hyper-compressed ferrite and reinforced alloy plating. Atomic hypercompression was a bleeding edge technology even at the peak of the Empire, and increased the Warframe's combat effectiveness by exactly diddly squat. All it meant for me is that the prototype Harrow required inhumanly expensive replacement parts, backed with a Zephyr's worth of Oxium just to make them portable by unaugmented humans. When these replacement parts happen to be the part of a holy artefact, you might see where the problems start.

Overengineering, I hear you say? Well, you're probably right. Some of my older colleagues said the atomic structure helps with Transference, but I cannot confirm this myself. If you are a high ranking Red Veil operative, refer to our own files on Harrow. That's all I can say without pissing off Big Red. You'll know who I mean.

The internals, thankfully, aren't quite as bad. We never had to go deep under the chassis during my time, but I did have some declassified documentation available to help us. Harrow's biological components are nothing unusual, barring some Kuva reinforcement for improved Transference connectivity. The real Orokin dookie is in the shielding systems: they are powerful, with potential for some heavy overclocking. Bit of a problem though. See that word there? Overclocking?

Anyone who tried to mess around with a modular computer knows that they can make for a great grill. You'll need one, too, since you'll inevitably go hungry trying to get it to work properly. Harrow's shield systems produce a lot of heat once fully engaged, and it takes a lot of Cryotic to make the whole system work reliably. I am surprised the Archimedians didn't dump the excess heat off to a melee weapon or something, but what do I know? Well, except that they got themselves murdered?

I also know how Harrow's abilities work. Let's start with the simple one.

  * Condemn sends out a wave of energy that freezes enemies in place, charging Harrow's shields for every enemy hit. It's a pretty complex mechanism, even if it was accomplished just by shamelessly stealing one of Limbo's many ability subsystems. At the time the lab did a Limbo analysis, this subsystem wasn't in active use, but Mr. Kahn had the foresight to write up a couple of notes on it. Apparently, it creates a mild self-sustaining temporal freeze. After the initial ability cast, it uses, and I quote here, "potential temporal energy" of its victims to keep up the effect. Harrow's configuration of this subsystem sacrifices area of effect and sends the excess temporal energy into his shield systems. There are also some chains involved, but they are just holo-projections. It's a late Orokin design, readers. They wouldn't use a Void-damned lever if it wasn't gilded.

  * Did you ever think destroying your own shields would be a good idea? The Orokin did, and designed Penance to do so. A catalysing energy surge allows for a nuclear fission analogue to occur in Harrow's shield batteries. The resulting reaction completely drains them, and the newly freed energy is channeled by the ability subsystem into Harrow's weaponry. Assuming the Harrow wasn't shot to pieces while doing this, his gear is now extra killy, and he also gains a cell-wide lifesteal effect. Unusually for lifesteal systems, no matter-devouring nanobots are used; rather, constructs formed out of pure Void energy are created by Harrow's weapons. These constructs are special in that they do the exact same thing you'd expect from matter-devouring nanobots, but look shinier while doing it. By the Lidless Eye, Orokin, you should have just ripped off Inaros on this one.

  * Good thing they didn't use the not-nanobots on just one ability. In what is seeming to be a rare case of reasonable design, Thurible allows Harrow to channel his Void energy batteries into his weapons, which create constructs that siphon energy from killed enemies and redistribute it to the needy Tenno. The effectiveness of this ability is determined by the initial energy investment, as well as by whether the killing blow is a headshot. Just like the stock market, am I wrong or what? Probably. You might be wondering why headshots would make killer non-nanobots more efficient, and the answer is simple: thinking matter. For Transference related reasons, these constructs are far more efficient when consuming neural tissue or the robotic equivalent. Let's just keep it at that: I tried elaborating on the effect three times now, and the explanation always winded up being longer than the rest of the report.

  * Just like my sense of humour protects me from a catastrophic crisis of faith related to a highly classified event, so too does Covenant protect the Tenno cell from a catastrophic disassembly event. This is some serious technology, readers. Get yourselves comfortable.

    * We never had to tangle with this subsystem in the Red Veil, and what I'm writing here is mostly guesswork. As far as we can tell, a part of Trinity's Blessing subsystem is recycled to provide a short-duration invulnerability. That system is nasty enough on its own, but it gets worse. While this effect is active, attacks are not merely stopped, but harnessed for their energy. If our readings are right, and they always are, the Condemn subsystem harnesses the _temporal potential energy of the attack hitting without Covenant's effect._ One of my colleagues did some research about this kind of temporal tech. Even in the old days, this technology was so bleeding edge you could have used it as a ritual sacrifice.
    * This harnessed energy is then channeled into the weapons of those affected. At least this bit is simple enough. The energy constructs are reused again, but instead of having them do matter-useful stuff conversion, they are just made to kill. Critical amounts of damage ensue, and things get horribly murdered as a result. There's also something about Transference and thinking matter here again, so headshots do even more damage. I'm still not going to attempt to explain that effect.
    * For the record, I am of the opinion that they still could have just used nanobots. This subsystem alone needs four Orokin Cells just to function normally, and those don't exactly sprout from the ground like some sort of a tuber.



What a _Harrowing_ (pun maliciously intended) read, wasn't it? Sadly, there's not much to read about this Warframe's origins and intended use during the old war. All records available on Harrow have been provided to us by the Red Veil, and, as far as I know, they simply don't go back that far. My guess would be that the Orokin wanted Trinity 2.0, but, judging by current Tenno usage statistics, what they got is a Trinity for operators with good aim.

For my taste, this Warframe just seems horribly over engineered. Jokes aside for a moment, Harrow is a model with many clever design options and an impressive degree of combat effectiveness, but the baffling amount of unneeded complexity is emblematic of late Orokin designs. The corrupt bastards wanted to extend a middle finger to the laws of physics, but at what cost?

Their common sense, probably. Try not to lose that thing, Tenno. I don't want another highly classified event.

 ** _Egar Costatvik_** , advanced Warframe maintenance specialist


	24. Volt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/865vgg/research_report_volt/

 

 

> Well, that's Harrow done. To be honest, I didn't expect that kind of writing from a Red Veil hire. It was a surprisingly pleasant read. In fact, it was so pleasant, it is deserving of an old Corpus rite: the rite of rewarding hard work with yet more hard work. But... later.
> 
> So, where was I with Teshin? Ah, yes, The Seed. Pleasant little place. It's a Loka restaurant, so they make their food from their own plants. Mostly flora from their old Earth genetic reclamation project, I believe. I can't name half of those things, but they sure are tasty. One of my favourite places to eat when I get bored from the standard rations. It also helps that the staff loves me retelling all those stories that seem to crop up in my wake.
> 
> I was expecting a nice, relaxed hour of well-deserved rest. What I got instead was a living Orokin artifact sitting in a dark corner, eyelessly staring at me. On his face was something that could almost, but not quite, be called a smile. Curiously, the rest of the clientele seemed to ignore him. I guess even a Dax must eat.
> 
> For a brief moment, I was surprised, but the coin dropped soon enough. I'd have reacted a bit more sharply if I could afford to look stupefied in such a public place. Instead, I had to settle with merely deciding to rage against my own stupidity at a later time. And you know what? I think the time is right for a facepalm!
> 
> ...ow. Let's continue. As I was considering the response that would make me seem like I had an idea of what I was doing, Teshin motioned me to come closer to him.
> 
>  
>
>> - **Well done, Archivist. You have passed the Test of Wit.**
>> 
>> -Test?
>> 
>> - **I apologise for the inconvenience. I may have been liberated from my previous masters, but a old ox is set in its ways. These things have always required one to pass certain tests. In times of yore, there were even special Halls of Ascension for them. You should have seen... No, all things must fall, and no men should fall for it. I have devised my own replacements over the years.**
> 
> Obviously, Teshin thought I knew a lot more than I actually did. I must have made an impression. It was best to keep up the illusion.
> 
>  
>
>> -What could possibly replace the Halls?
>> 
>> **-Cephalon Simaris has been kind to lend me a portion of his Sanctuary for my Conclave. When needed, this datascape can be reconfigured. Your other tests will take place in a realm not of sight and sounds, but of numbers and quant-cards. Let us move.**
> 
> More tests. Some people were already listening to us. I couldn't just refuse now, could I? For all the inconvenient situations my reputation has brought me, it has also been an pathway to gifts, lovely dinners, and acceptably tiny amounts of paperwork, which is to say barely any paperwork. It's just... I don't need to complain to my diary about having a pleasant life, do I?
> 
> But Void damn it if Teshin was going to deny me my food.
> 
>  
>
>> -Teshin, the Corpus of my former space station believed in a hearty, silent meal before events such as this. Would it not be appropriate to respect this tradition in a place such as this?
>> 
>> - **It is said: "An army marches on its stomach". I am surprised that...** **_your_** **people remembered this wisdom. Yes, let us eat.**
> 
> As usual, I was full of it. On Viver, I ate nothing but Nutritional Flavor Bars for years, and only because dead Crewmen aren't useful to the Board. Well, unless the rumours about those bars were true, but I never really considered them. It's not as if I needed additional reasons not to die back in the bad old days.
> 
> Of course there was contraband, but, well... I was already risking a lot. The various officers needed to think I was a brainwashed indoctrinee. Either way, the executives giving a buckethead a meal that can be remotely described as "hearty" would be less likely than them actually growing a heart.
> 
> However, an excuse for a meal is an excuse for a meal. I'm not sure how long we were there. We just sat at a table, slowly eating some sort of a thick vegetable stew. Uhh... there were these orange chunks in it which felt really lovely on my teeth. I wish I knew what kind of a plant they were from.
> 
> As we ate, I was thinking. I still believed that whatever Teshin had planned for me was going to throw me face-first into danger. Mentioning Simaris did little to alleviate my worry. That orange freak's about as insane as an orange assemblage of circuitry can possibly be. So, what was my best way out?
> 
> I could flunk these tests. Intentionally fail them, but without appearing as if I'm actively going out of my way to do so. Trust me, this wasn't my first idea, but, going over my various alternatives, it really was the best way to go about things. Teshin would still have a potentially useful respect for me, and I'd get to carry on my merry way with one more connection. But seriously, how hard could _failing_ a test be? Kids on the relay do it all the time. In fact, they do it so often, I can hear their parents' screams through my hab block walls!
> 
> Heh. Hahahahah. It's never that easy for me, is it? ...Although, come to think of it... Selva was on about something regarding those parents a couple of weeks ago. I should probably check on her again. Maybe bring them up, make her... you know, remind that I care, it helps with people.
> 
> Wait, nevermind, that's for later. Focus, Kaiathas.
> 
> After we finished up our respective meals, it didn't take us long to reach the Sanctuary uplinks. They were just a couple of corridors from the Conclave, and the Seed wasn't too far off from that landmark, so our journey was reduced to about fifteen silent minutes of walking. There isn't much to be said here. I got my weapons and full exosuit at some point, and then we entered the datascape. It was just a surprisingly normal simulink procedure, and, before I knew it, I was in cyberspace.
> 
> I am no stranger to training simulations, but you can never shake off those first few seconds of utter confusion as your mind adjusts to the simulink terminal. Upon recalling that I was, in fact, Kaiathas Kahn, and not a sapient sphere made of telemetry data, I was greeted by a white landscape formed of cubes of varying sizes. In the far distance, the cubes sharply dropped off into a seemingly infinite void.
> 
> In the close distance, there was a vaguely humanoid collection of pyramids holding a Tech hostage.
> 
> It had to be a test, but I had no idea what I needed to do to pass. In the next few seconds, I quickly ran down the possibilities, and found two ways this could go. Teshin either wanted me to take down the target without harming the hostage, or he was thinking of a more diplomatic approach.
> 
> That's why I just killed both the target and the tech, letting Dera's punch through do the hard work for me. Normally, I would be worried about killing a human, but he was, in truth, just a jumble of code given shape. It didn't help that there was something off about the way he moved in the target's grasp.
> 
> Their deaths were marked by a satisfying, mechanical screech, until it suddenly stopped. What happened next is quite hard to describe. One moment, those two were disintegrating into the ether, and the next, there was just this... thing in their place, without any transition. It might sound reasonable, but the effect was truly startling to me, and was exasperated by...
> 
> I knew for a fact it was not real. Unfortunately, my brain was still highly distrusting of facts after years of exposure to Corpus media. In spite of common sense, what I saw was a horrifying, vaguely humanoid Sentient genocide machine. Not even the propaganda teams could have come up with _that_.
> 
> This thing was...well, Maple, Tenno, I have a feeling you've seen it already. Black and blue, about... ten stories tall, gun for an arm, big glowing weak points at the limbs, lights up the sky like a giant, faulty Supra ioniser? Makes explosions slightly weaker than one of those, too? Immune to small calibre weaponry? Scary, whatever it is. And I was a scant few meters away from it.
> 
> One does not survive as long as I have without the ability to suppress very rational panic, and, as the Sentient began to make its first moves, I once more found myself in a situation that forced me to think quickly. This was clearly another test, and the glowing weak points suggested some sort of a climbing manoeuvre would be necessary to take down the beast. Obviously, such an action would be a show of bravery and initiative in the face of overwhelming odds, to be undertaken only by the most heroic of individuals.
> 
> Seeing as no heroes were present in that particular datascape, I decided to let my instincts take over and run like a survivor instead. Looking back at it, Teshin probably didn't need to hear that yelp of fear, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. You know, enhancing the effect, making sure I did not pass whatever his test was? Oh, who am I kidding, I was just scared out of my wits. The Tenno, the Grineer, they are all at least human, if only for a given value of the word. I can't say the same for those things.
> 
> I quickly ran for the biggest, chunkiest looking cube to hide behind, and then waited for the various explosion noises to subside before running away to the next safe-looking piece of cover. The Sentient moved slowly towards me, shaking the ground with each step, but I was faster. This went on for a few minutes. Then, the shaking stopped, and I peeked behind my current piece of cover to spot a distinct lack of virtual colossi trying to kill me.
> 
> Blessed silence returned to the datascape, and provided a much needed moment of respite. I sat down, resting my back on the cube I was hiding behind. My body wasn't in a good state. The events of the previous day left me exhausted, and even through the painkillers, I felt a dull ache from the Grineer warbeast's polearm.
> 
> The next thing I remember was me, scrambling to get back up into a combat position. I was already up by the time Teshin jumped in front of me. His facial expression was ever-indecipherable.
> 
> Somehow, I had managed to doze off in the middle of a test. I guess some sort of a noise woke me up; Neptune had made me an extraordinarily light sleeper. My past aside, this was not exactly as I would have liked the test to go, but surely, this meant I failed. There was a smug smile on my lips, fortunately concealed by my helm.
> 
>  
>
>> - **An outstanding performance, Archivist.**
> 
> It has been a day since Teshin said those words, without the merest hint of sarcasm, and they still surprise me even as I listen to the recording. My brain desperately scrambled to smash a coherent response into shape, but Teshin continued speaking before that happened.
> 
>  
>
>> - **My apologies for a lack of explanations, but this was needed to preserve the purity of the tests. i shall do so now.**
>> 
>> - **First, the Test of Instinct. The speed of thought is slower than the speed of combat, and a warrior must be ready to adapt to the enemy, whatever they do. In truth, I cared not for your reaction to the hostage, only its speed. The fact that you recognised a fellow Corpus as an indoctrinated enemy is even more impressive.**
>> 
>> - **Second was the Test of Wisdom. Upon hearing the stories of your exploits, I had fears that you were like the cheetah of Old Earth: mighty, but overconfident, ready to be struck down by the more cautious mammoths it preyed upon. What you saw was an Eidolon. Their kind is a form of Sentient even the most powerful of Tenno have reason to fear, and you were wiser than many in immediately seeking cover.**
>> 
>> - **Finally, the Test of Patience. Not only did you wait for two hours in an unchanging realm without any issues, but you also made the time useful by restoring your energy. Yet, this sleep did not weaken you, for you were ready to respond at the first sign of danger.**
> 
> There's this young boy who works at the Kubrow kennels here on Larunda. Can't be over fifteen, I reckon. He has the perfect saying for what had just happened.
> 
> I was barking up the right tree, but got hit by the wrong branch.
> 
> Why didn't I just let the Sentient take me out? I briefly considered the fact that I did not even consider that idea until that point. There were certain conclusions on my nature to be drawn from that line of thought. Considering how well I knew myself, I decided they were best left... unconcluded.
> 
> However, not all was as bad as it seemed. By the point Teshin finished, I had come up with a perfect response.
> 
>  
>
>> -So, now what?
> 
> I don't think I had ever worked harder to put three words together. They worked well enough, though.
> 
>  
>
>> - **You seek guidance, and I will give it. The experience of several lifetimes, focused to erode your weaknesses and bolster your strengths. You will exercise, you will train, and, occasionally, you will spar. Progress forward will be difficult. You will fail countless times, but you will learn from the failures, until only the right paths to success remain. And you will walk these paths, and you will be a better warrior than you were the previous day. Are you ready, Archivist?**
>> 
>> -Surely, it is not just me you wish to train? Do you have no other, pressing business?
>> 
>> - **Of course you are not alone. There are other pupils across the system, all with their own quirks, strengths and weaknesses. When the Sentients come, we cannot rely on the Tenno alone to save us. You know why far better than most. As for time? Worry yourself with the tasks I wish to give you. An old Dax like me is good at making time.**
>> 
>> -What tasks, Master Teshin?
>> 
>> - **Let us exit this simulacrum. I have your first tasks on a paper, should you take them.**
> 
> That's exactly what we did, and I soon found myself looking over Teshin's tasks. They were just exercises, with some meditation and research. Don't get me wrong, none of it was easy work, but where were the Orokin death courses? What about...
> 
>  
>
>> - **Expected something more dangerous, Archivist? The enemy's job is to make you suffer. Why should I be the one to assist them? Knowledge of a bad gallop means nothing to the horse with a broken leg.**
> 
> Much ado over nothing. There was a part of me that was angry. All's well that ends well, though, and I walked away from that situation without any permanent mental damage, so I was willing to call that day a win.
> 
>  
>
>> -I will attempt these challenges as soon as I fully recover from my wounds.
>> 
>> - **And I shall be ready to judge your progress, pupil.**
> 
> For once, the universe wasn't actually out to get me, and for that I am grateful. It will also come back to collect its debts, with interest, and a spiky, rusty bat. For that, I am not so grateful. But, until then, I'll enjoy life for once. Kaiathas, out.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, a very special Warframe came under the care of my team today. We didn't perform any repairs this time. Rather, the powers that be have asked us to do some analytical work on an old Volt prototype.

At the time of this writing, a cosmetic kit based on it is slated to release in about three months' time for the general Tenno market. There were a few issues regarding systems integration with Prime models, and our combined expertise was called upon to offer possible solutions. This made for an excellent opportunity to compile a report on the modern Volt Warframe, and how he has changed through time. Some of the information you are about to read is currently restricted from The Lotus's various syndicate and civilian allies, so readers are reminded to exercise proper operational security.

Considering most of this documents readers will be Tenno, I would like to clear up a possible misapprehension. Although it might seem otherwise, my team's assignment is not the scientific equivalent of getting assigned to Outer Terminus Rail Control. Not only is the decoration of Warframes a key aspect of the Tenno culture, but the many different variations of any given model have done wonders to avert development of specific countermeasures.

From personal experience, I can vouch that the development of a visual recognition system which can identify a specific Warframe in a real-time environment is a proverbial black hole for research funding. I assume the Grineer also have similar problems with their own technology. Make no mistake: there are methods to tell apart whether a Warframe is a Koga Ash or a Caduto Excalibur within microseconds, but they are all prohibitively expensive for something designed to fight against the Tenno. Should such technology be created, I can assure you Nullifiers will seem positively radiant compared to the countermeasures it would enable, even with the Corpus' limited understanding of Warframe technology.

The prototype itself seems to date back to the Old War, although it's hard put an exact date to it; as usual, contemporary documentation is sparse, and the design does not follow Orokin design patterns that would allow us to narrow down the age. What documentation we do have has been provided by Lab Zero along with the prototype and our tasks. I do not believe Lab Zero has been mentioned in these reports before, so I will have to make a small diversion.

Simply put, Lab Zero is a catch-all term for the forces powering contemporary Warframe rediscovery, development, and improvement. Whereas the various laboratories on Larunda only perform diagnostic and research work, only Lab Zero has been known to make modifications to the Warframe technology. All information regarding the specifics of this part of the Lotus' forces are highly classified for what I believe are obvious reasons, and even I cannot tell you much more than this. The leading theory in our team is that Lab Zero is the designation for a decentralised Cephalon collective backed by a network of human operatives, but you must understand that this is just mostly baseless speculation.

With that explanation out of the way, the Volt prototype we worked on is an exceptionally unique design. Archimedian notes suggest that early Excalibur models had serious problems with reliability due to frequent ability system failures. The failures described perfectly match common issues seen in modern Void energy converters, so it is quite probable that the Orokin's relative inexperience with the technology, coupled with rushed development of the first Warframes, was the culprit here. This prototype was designed to use Void energy exclusively for central power, with all subsystems being powered by generated electricity.

With the progress of Warframe development, this haphazard solution was soon no longer needed, and production model Volt relies on Void energy in a more traditional fashion. Even then, vestiges of the prototype can still be seen in some parts of the design. In particular, Volt's shield systems are still electrically powered. This unique approach results in movement creating a build-up of static electricity in purpose-built coils on Volt's chassis. Previously, this was considered an unfortunate side-effect, but the phenomenon has been harnessed to deadly effect after the Awakening, the static charge being channeled into Volt's weaponry.

Another unusual feature of the prototype is a lack of standard Module integration. Rather, mod energy is focused into the Warframe via a series of primitive, static, module-like components. This is shared with a number of older production models, and early contemporary records suggest the first active Tenno had to use such Warframes before the facilities required for an upgrade were recovered. The flaws in this approach are the inability to activate all these proto-modules at the same time, resulting in inevitable redundant system components, as well as a sheer lack of flexibility. One can only speculate this system was far easier to implement.

The ability systems of the specimen in our lab all achieve similar effects to what the modern Tenno are used to, but the exact methods used differ in some cases.

  * Shock is a rather basic ability by Warframe standards, delivering a powerful electric shock to a cluster of enemies. Today, this effect is achieved with a short but powerful energy discharge through a superconductive Void-created corridor, but the prototype used a technology that can only be described as delightfully primitive: a taser dart. Of course, the design itself is far ahead of its pre-Orokin era progenitors, and similar devices can be seen in numerous colonies, but the sheer unexpected simplicity of the system gave the team a good laugh. Sadly, this dart had rare, but noticeable penetration issues, and Shock's current mode of operation allows for a slight area of effect and augmentation module integration. On that note, the augmentation module for this weapon allows some clever IFF sensor hacking to transfer Shock's energy into allied weaponry; similar modules can be seen in a couple of other Warframes.

  * Even the Crewmen who couldn't name a single Warframe can tell you of that terrifying way the Tenno suddenly accelerate and blaze past any non-critical targets. Speed is Volt's most infamous ability, and the principle upon which it operates remains mostly unchanged from the prototype. It's not exactly complex, either: it is a simple power overcharge delivered to organic Warframe systems, and quirks in their interaction with Transference power generation allow for significantly improved mobility. The documents mention Volt's coils not being able to handle the additional static generation, but not only has this issue been solved since then, it was also weaponised with a purpose-built augmentation module. The prototype was limited to only conferring this effect on Volt himself, but advances in technology allowed production models to share it with all allies with compatible systems in range.

  * According to our documents, the initial creation of Electric Shield was a pure accident caused by a faulty Orokin Cell, which inadvertently trapped some static from Volt's arm coils into a small sphere. Initially observed as a curiosity, interaction between electrical and Void energy gave the sphere an uncanny resistance to projectiles, which led to research into isolating the effect that created it. The ability in its current form can be best described as creating a stationary Void-based Tesla coil, bent into the shape of a shield. Production models implemented IFF integration, allowing friendly projectiles fired through the shield to be empowered by a part of its energy. However, it comes with a major issue. Simply put, this shield does not want to cooperate.

    * The ability system exists in an unstable equilibrium. Even the smallest change to its configuration completely disrupts standard operation, and these changes happen to be the single most common reason Volts enter my workshop. Lab Zero has been attempting to find a more stable system configuration for years with little success. I am sure the ability would have gone the way of the Limbo, were it not for its sheer benefits. The one thing they have to show for their work is the newfound ability for Volt operators to carry one of their Electric Shields around, but that still comes at a massive energy cost. Even something as seemingly simple as having another Warframe pick up the shield required an enhancement module. There are promising breakthroughs related to this particular area, but, in the meantime, this will have to do, Tenno.
  * Another ability that has been problematic for Lab Zero is also Volt's final ability, Discharge. Previously referred to as Overload, Discharge used to be little more than an uncontrolled blast of electricity, shocking anything unfortunate enough to be near the Warframe. Production models only added IFF module compatibility, an addition borne from what should be an obvious desire not to horribly electrocute friendly targets. However, years of contemporary combat testing have shown that electrocution is nowhere near effective of a killing method as something called electrocution deserves to be. Lab Zero then turned their efforts into refocusing the ability system for crowd control, and the trouble begins there. The current Overload turns enemies into living Tesla coils by a bit of assistance from Electric Shields' system, and traps them in a painful, if relatively non-lethal, series of muscular or hydraulic spasms. An augmentation module even takes excess energy from this process and refocuses it into allied shields, but this method of crowd control has the damning flaw of being limited in duration by weapon damage. As was previously stated, it's a wonder Electric Shields work at all, and this application of the system is quite unstable as a result. Fortunately, work is being done, but that's all I can say for now.




In conclusion, this work has been a very interesting historical study. Once again, I am amazed by the desperate ingenuity of those ancient Archimedians responsible for the first Warframes, and, on a more personal note, weep for the loss of this wonderful simplicity in later models. Yes, this approach did lead to a myriad of issues down the line, but, as the ancient saying goes: _"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."_

Too bad your enemies are very keen on breaking things. May the Void treat you kinder than our progenitors.

Kaiathas Kahn, Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer

* * *

**_Hey, kiddo._ **

_Okay. Sorry. Had to. It's Maple. Been a while, huh?_

_Well, I've been stuck. On my ship. Shipstuck. Wasn't too pleasant. Lots of experiments, no missions. Just fiddled with music and slept._

_Lotus was worried. I understand. Soon as we found the Quills, she let me go. But still. I felt so useless. Clan and region chat kept me sane. I know, you'd expect the opposite. Funny thing, life._

_That little Void creature didn't help. It gave up on the doppelganger trick. Turned into two of not-me. Didn't know why at the time. I do now. It's... we'll get there._

_Kai kept safe. Barely any logs in the last few months. I even talked to him. You know. For fun. Once I was free. With tea. Loka makes good stuff. Still, some interesting stuff. I hope you'll like the logs._

_Right now? There's that dream-_ **_Tower_** _. Something about it... Well, there's data on it. Last few months, been following a trail. Seems to come down to a Corpus exec. I have plans._

_But, you know._

_All in due time._

_Oh right. Lotus is gone now, but you know that. Or is it Margulis? I think it's Margulis. The Cephalon Weave is picking up the slack. Civvies can't know. Bad for morale._

_Lotus or Margulis, I want answers. And, based on what the documents say about Ballas?_

**_I want justice._ **


	25. Nezha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/8r6xyx/research_report_nezha/

_Hey Tenno. Maple here. This is the next diary Kaiathas recorded. Timestamp puts it about a month before Plains operations started. Same time as a Razorback Armada invasion. Fun stuff. Well, not so much for him._

_Poor guy. Pairing the diary with one of the reports. As usual. One problem, though. More reports than diaries. Might run down what I've been up to next time. You know. In place of a diary._

_Diary. Fun word._

* * *

> And it was going so well... Well, here I am, back with you, recorder. My old friend.
> 
> For a few blessed months, nothing had tried to kill me. The fact that I speak of this as a great accomplishment should tell you enough about my life in the last few years.
> 
> Those months were everything I had wanted out of life. I should probably run down why, shouldn't I?
> 
> Well, for one, no real responsibilities. No outstanding work at the lab, no Syndicate obligations, just me, and Selva watching over me. She was stuck with the doctors for a week longer than she had expected, and still has the occasional cough attack, but, other than that, it's as if she had never got a lungful of highly corrosive gas.
> 
> I suppose there's Teshin's training regimen, but it's oddly relaxing. It's just an upgrade to the exercises I was already performing, and there's a real sense of accomplishment to the way they become easier and easier with each passing day. Stars forbid an Orokin lets a student feel _too_ proud, though. The sparring sessions are... well... Let's start that sentence all over again.
> 
> Imagine trying to run an obstacle course while hopping on one leg, while drunk from a bunch of that really cheap Ostron booze, all the while there's a small teenage boy shouting really incompetent insults off the side of it. Fighting Teshin is absolutely nothing like this, but it should put one in the right state of mind.
> 
> I cannot beat him, and I highly doubt I will ever be able to. It's not that he's merely perfect. He's still human, I think. Once in a while, he makes mistakes I can exploit. But it doesn't matter, because he knows exactly how to recover from them. By then, he'll have read me like a book. It doesn't matter what approach I try. Sooner or later, I make an unsafe attack, and then, it's over. What little I know about fighting pales in comparison to Teshin's experience of a thousand battles won, reinforced by whatever the Orokin did to turn him into a Dax. I think there are only three methods to beat him in a fair fight.
> 
> One would be literal fighting perfection. I don't have to explain why that isn't an option.
> 
> The other would be overwhelming force. Unfortunately, I can't pilot Warframes or anything on that power tier, so that's also a not possibility. Well, unless I want to end up stuck in a tree for several centuries like Titania's Archimedian, but photosynthesis is not a replacement for good food in my mind.
> 
> Finally, I could try to discourage Teshin from actually wanting to fight, but that's rather counter-intuitive to the whole training process. It might seem odd, but there is a lot to learn from getting one's ass kicked by that man.
> 
> I also had to work on my ranged weapon skills. The old man gave me a few drills to do on the relay's range, and he found some issues with my target leading skills. Quite grateful that he did, really. The skills came in useful today.
> 
> So, what happened? We were having a routine evacuation of Larunda due to the Corpus trying something clever again. Razorbacks, apparently. Pretty nasty, big things, if I recall the briefing correctly, but about as useless against a proper Tenno operation as pretty much everything else in this solar system. Not only are the Warframes destructive as they always are, the Lotus has tricks up her sleeve in case of the armada getting too close. My clearance level gives me a bit of insight about that stuff, but it's about as highly classified as a mountaintop rock collection.
> 
> Puns aside, I'm pretty sure I'd get unpleasant things done to me if I revealed that info. Moving on, safety is safety, and Selva and I ended on a small shuttle, orbiting Mercury in an inconspicuous orbit until the all-clear. Selva requisitioned us a personal vessel; in case of any actual trouble, I suspected that civvies would bog us down, and there happened to be a perfect two-seater available from a fan of my misadventures who happened to live on the relay. I think I met her about two months back... oh, yes, I remember now. Her son wanted to meet me, and there was free dinner with actual meat involved, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. The kid was a bit of a brat, but not too... never mind, I got way off track.
> 
> It was an atmosphere conductive to getting way off track. We were supposed to float around there for a couple of days, with nothing to do but admire the view. Apparently, planetbound people think the vast void of space is somehow a beautiful, romantic view.
> 
> Little do they know, the effect of watching empty space can be easily replicated from one's own home. Why, you simply need to close your eyes, really really hard. If you do it properly, you might even see stars!
> 
> At least the two of us had plenty to talk about. Both Selva and I had our fair share of anecdotes to share with each other. In the end, we didn't even need to go through all of them. Grineer galleons are not conductive to small talk.
> 
> One second, everything went black on the shuttle's outer cameras, and the next, we were in the loading bay of an obviously Grineer vessel. What happened only made sense in retrospect. Looking at the flight data, our orbit had taken us fairly close to the Terminus rail, and the galleon probably picked up speed somewhere near the Grineer garrison there and then careened into us. I know for a fact that the Empire has several ship systems designed for quick civilian vessel capture, so we probably got grabbed by one of those.
> 
> Unfortunately, we didn't know any of what I had just mentioned when that happened. To say I was scared would be a colossal understatement, but to say I was scared witless would be a lie. I could not afford to lose my wits, I paid a lot of money over the years for them. Selva and I had to figure out what was going on and come up with a plan. I'll let past us take over here... I'll just omit all the panicked shouting at the start here...
>
>> -"Okay, okay, okay, we need a plan. Selva, check the cameras?"
>> 
>> - _"There's a Ballista squad up on the catwalks, and there's two Lancer squads coming in from the airlock, which is really low for this kind of an operation, isn't it?"_
>> 
>> -"You're right. How many other shuttles do you see with us?"
>> 
>> - _"Twelve others, only one's of Grineer make, why do you ask?"_
>> 
>> -"Good, so they aren't here just for me. Selva, what do you have in those pouches?"
>> 
>> - _"Dining implements, three personal datapads—"_
>> 
>> -"The useful stuff, Selva."
>> 
>> - _"Three flashbangs, four plasma grenades, a breaching charge, five small ammo pads, two days' worth of food, nothing else we can use right now."_
>> 
>> -"Bless you and your hoarding. What are our odds if we surrender? You're the one who worked with Meridian."
>> 
>> - _"Literally nonexistent."_
>> 
>> -"Then we wait for those squads to come, clear out this loading bay, then fortify it until help comes."
>> 
>> - _"Bad idea, boss, 'cause the Grineer are gonna make sure help doesn't come."_
>> 
>> -"How come? There's probably a squad on this galleon's ass as we speak."
>> 
>> - _"Grineer aren't dumb, and they wouldn't do anything as bold as this without a lot of bloody planning, they probably have a way to hide this ship or something, and..."_
>> 
>> -"Shit. We need to move out, now. We're out on three, take the snipers."
>> 
>> - _"Just what I wanted to hear."_
> 
> Unfortunately, Selva was completely correct. Even if everyone on the other shuttles was a friendly with guns big enough to take on the Grineer, there was no way we were about to take over a galleon that almost certainly had the manpower to take down a cell of Tenno first responders. We needed to get out of the loading bay, then take it from there. I hoped we could fight our way to a hiding spot, and then... honestly, I had no idea. At that point, it was all about risk management, and I will always take odds with a bunch of zeroes over odds with just one.
> 
> Selva activated the shuttle's emergency escape systems, and the door blasted outward. We jumped out, an impromptu smokescreen obscuring our movements. All the snipers fell to one blast of Selva's Opticor, and my Dera had a similar effect on the ground-level Grineer squads... but they were dying too slowly. Both our weapons were at Tenno-spec, but it took a good five plasma bolts for me to take down just one of the Lancers. Fortunately, our enemies were completely taken by surprise; I suspect they could have gotten a lot of good shots on us otherwise.
> 
> With the opposition cleared out, we made a mad dash for the airlock. Both our suits could work completely sealed, and the lack of atmosphere presented no issue for us. What did present an issue, though, was the massive, locked Ferrite door barring us from the rest of the Grineer vessel.
> 
> Well, okay. It was an issue for all of three seconds. Selva's breaching charge proved perfectly suited for bypassing the obstacle, and it blew a gaping hole through the intimidating barrier.
> 
> So far, so good, right? Well, there's one little, tiny thing both of us forgot in the heat of the moment. One insignificant little physics interaction. It's called decompression.
> 
> In my defense, breaching your way into a Grineer warship isn't a part of Neptune's curriculum. Real shame, that course would have been far more useful than the weekly flagellation. Anyway, a massive rush of air knocked us both off our feet. The only thing that stopped us from flying straight back onto our shuttle was the emergency bulkhead slamming down behind us.
> 
> The Grineer guarding the entrance would have probably laughed their way to a fat promotion shooting us as we slowly slid down the bulkhead, were they not too dead to laugh, or, indeed, do much of anything. The breaching charge had a deadly effect on the small squad anticipating our arrival, and chunks of the former clones were strewn all across the room beyond the airlock. Still, the whims of the universe didn't let me get off of forgetting a fundamental principle of spaceship construction scot-free. Decompression sent the leg of a chunkified Commander straight into my nether regions, and a well-deserved blow to my dignity was inflicted.
> 
> After that... debacle, we made our way into the ship proper. Any concerns I might have had about a lack of a plan were alleviated by an ominous device sparking some arcane energy in the next room over. Let me find the timestamp...
>
>> -" _Boss, any idea about that thing?_ "
>> 
>> -"Looks Sentient, can't tell you much else. Probably something set up for the Tenno?"
>> 
>> - _"Then we'd best get rid of it, right?"_
> 
> I was not about to make a hasty, stupid call after what just happened.
>
>> -"Now hold on, we can't know what happens if we just blow it up, and there's probably no way of safely depowering it without—"
>> 
>> - _"There's a power cord, like, right behind the spinny thing, boss."_
>> 
>> -Oh."
> 
> Apparently, not all things have to be complicated. I unplugged the device, and then ran to what I thought would be a safe distance, just in case. It proved pointless; the explosion I anticipated was replaced by nothing but a soft plonk, as the device stopped all apparent activity. Then, I heard an oddly familiar voice coming from my suit's communication systems.
>
>> **"Operative... operative... operative, can you respond?"**
> 
> The Lotus. Corpus say that hearing her voice is certain death for any crewman. Mere superstition, of course, one I have discarded over the course of my stay at Larunda. In truth, it means _absolutely_ certain death. It's still an idea I hold onto, even though I am not a crewman now. Expecting death around every corner is quite helpful in situations like this.
>
>> -"Archivist Kahn responding, accompanied by Selva Zinik."
>> 
>> - **"Archivist? You are not the type of person I expected. Nonetheless, your actions have weakened the Grineer communication disruptors enough for me to contact you. Unfortunately, there is a problem. In approximately six minutes, I will lose track of the vessel you are on, unless you completely disable the disruptors. Without tracking, there is little hope of your rescue. You need to reach the bridge and destroy the central console located there. I am currently uploading a map to your exosuit. I will assist you if I can, but you will be mostly on your own. Good luck."**
> 
> Most people end up having to run through half a Grineer warship to survive by making exceptionally poor life choices. Most people also die in the process. Now, I had gotten to run through half a Grineer warship to survive by making what seemed to be the best choice at the time. By equivalency, I hoped that meant I would survive in the process.
> 
> Surprisingly, our path to the bridge was fairly smooth. There was resistance, true, but nothing we could not overcome with standard room clearing tactics. There were only pockets of two or three Grineer at the time, as the Lotus guided us away from any major clusters. As would later become apparent, most of the galleon's fighting force was stationed on its other side, prepared for a Tenno attack. Some alarms went off at some point, but the Grineer simply could not redeploy fast enough, or did not see us as a big enough threat.
> 
> There was something oddly relaxing in the experience. The motions of a vessel invasion hearkened back to my old days at Viver. They were not better, but they were certainly more predictable, and there was a part of me yearning to simply follow orders and go through the day without worrying about responsibilities. Selva was also a delightfully good partner, responding almost instantly to all of my commands.
> 
> We got to the bridge with three minutes to spare. Selva's Scrambus hoverskates could keep up with a tardier Tenno, and my own augmented legs had no problems matching that speed. We took a moment to discuss a plan.
>
>> -"Okay, he's probably got a pretty good position in there. Ideas?"
>> 
>> - _"I can run in there, let my shield take the strain while you sneak in after me and take down whoever you can see, then I can cook a flashbang and... actually, bit complex, isn't it?"_
>> 
>> -"Maybe. You should have some four grenades left now?"
>> 
>> - _"Five, there was that Grineer grenade._ "
>> 
>> -"Just throw them all in?"
>> 
>> - _"I love the way you think, boss."_
> 
> The bridge was a large, sprawling chamber, with numerous ship computers strewn in front of a concave wall made of reinforced glass, looking out into the open space. Somewhere in the middle of the room was a large Sentient thing. Covering it were several strategically placed Grunts, behind which about a dozen Grineer awaited us. They were ready for just about anything, and opened concentrated fire as soon as we peeked into the room. We didn't need much more than a peek, and the combined force of four plasma grenades and a flashbang was enough to destroy a smaller asteroid, much less a haphazard entrenchment.
> 
> A couple of the more agile soldiers managed to jump out of the grenades' range, but all the others were disintegrated in their actinic blast. The survivors' relief was short lived, however, because the Sentient device dangerously destabilised, and let out a second, larger blast, accompanied by an indescribable wailing sound.
> 
> Not long after that, I heard a describable wailing sound coming from a nearby console. I turned to it, and saw an unfortunately familiar face.
>
>> - ** _"You? YOU?! I will... All Grineer aboard Galleon Uk-Nul-Shux-Forr-Ehught-Ehught, your Queen speaks. I had some great plans for the people you had captured. Plans so great, your feeble, tasty little minds could never understand them. Unfortunately, your commanders have allowed a small, purple fly and his pet floaty-woaty to RUIN THEM! Now, don't worry, there is no shame in failure. After all, a platoon of your bretheren made the same mistake earlier on. I have given them a promotion befitting of their capabilities, and I believe they are now fertilising a experimental strain of Ruk's Claw. Now, I understand this career path might not be appealing for some of you. If you are of that opinion, I would advise that you head over to the bridge and SQUASH THOSE PATHETIC LITTLE BUGS!"_**
> 
> I was too hopped up on adrenaline at that point to be intimidated. The horror of actually angering a Grineer Queen to the point she could actually recognise me was something that would just have to wait.
> 
> After a short moment, the Lotus chimed in to congratulate us on a job well done.
>
>> - **"A formidable performance. There is a Tenno relief squad inbound on your position. You will need to survive until they arrive."**
>> 
>> - _Mr. Kahn, any ideas of where do we make our last stand?_
>> 
>> -We don't. There was a pretty promising ventilation duct two rooms ago. Let's hole up somewhere in there and wait for the Void kids to get us out of here.
> 
> Finally, I could let my inner coward take the lead. Realistically, it was our best chance. Even if we could somehow set up a perfect defensive position and kill every clone headed our way, we would simply not have enough ammo to survive long enough. Ventilation ducts were, from my experience, fairly obscure places to look in, and they also offered a couple of retreat options in the eventuality things went Maprico-shaped.
> 
> And so, we hid. We were there, kneeling in a small ventilation chamber, anxiously awaiting a curious Grineer that never came. After a bit over half an hour, we heard exotic gunfire noises echoing through the ship, which was soon followed by the Tenno whose weapons made them.
> 
> Several hours of travel and coffee later, and here we are. Selva tells me that the syndicates are bidding over the rights for our helmet footage. Allegedly, one of the high-ups in Perrin said that she wants to write a book on ship invasions based on what he had seen, just so that she could say the operation was textbook.
> 
> All's well that ends well, but it didn't quite end well for me. The real reason I picked up this recorder is on the computer screen in front of me. I'll read it out.
> 
> "Archivist Kahn, you must be perplexed by today's events. Early investigation suggests the presence of a Grineer spy on Larunda divulging the location of evacuation orbits, and documents recovered from the galleon indicate that this operation was months in the planning. Rest assured that work is being done to prevent anything like this from occuring again."
> 
> "On a different subject, the improptu operation you conducted today leads me to believe that the your talents are wasted in your current position. The same can be said of your bodyguard. Both of you have been promoted to the position of On-Call Combat Operative. When needed, your skills will be called upon, and appropriate danger pay will be deposited on your provided account. The payment for today's operation should arrive within the day."
> 
> Why is it that my reward for running from scary crap is getting more scary crap thrown at me? I mean, she has access to these logs, right? Agh... Kaiathas, out.

* * *

Honourable Tenno, this is the first time a Nezha has appeared in our laboratory. Most people would see this male Warframe, take note of his lithe, feminine body and the oversized ring on his back, and dismiss him as a fragile, yet powerful model, much like Loki or Limbo. They would be quite correct in that assumption, as Nezha's shield systems are fairly underpowered, and his fault tolerance leaves a lot to desire. However, the reality is not that simple.

Our Orokin-era documentation suggests that Nezha was quite a late Warframe model, but shows few hallmarks characteristic of such designs. Apparently, this was due to a change in Orokin hierarchy, with the new leaders of the Warframe project desiring designs inspired by the likes of Excalibur and Rhino, with function being put before form. The fact that only Wukong and Nezha seem to follow these design principles suggests that this change in direction did not last. Nevertheless, these two designs were made, and carry exceptionally robust, yet simple systems within them.

This means that, even though Nezha is fragile compared to most Warframes, almost all cases of system failure can be fixed by the basic maintenance systems found in any Tenno Orbiter, not requiring the specialist care of labs such as mine. Beyond the relative simplicity of this Warframe's systems, this is also achieved with Nezha's Rubedo-Ferrite armour plating, backed by a ferrite protective layer, located further within the model's innards.

This armour is still fairly light, though, and Nezha is a Warframe quite clearly built for speed, as can be seen from the Argon-based maglev expansion to the generic Warframe mobility systems he possesses. Our suspicion is that he was designed as an alternative approach to Volt's role in Tenno cells, and, indeed, contemporary Tenno mostly use Nezha for the crowd control and sheer agility he provides.

As ever, Nezha has four distinct ability subsystems. Fortunately for the team, there are no vestigial subsystems in sight, as some of us had feared before work started on this Warframe.

  * Nezha's natural mobility is enhanced by Fire Walker, an unusual combo of controlled fire generation (much like seen in Ember) and systems overcharge (as seen in numerous other Warframes). Unlike the unusual tricks seen in the older Warframe designs that inspired Nezha, these effect are achieved through simple Void energy manipulation, and do not provide much material to talk about beyond a small quirk in ability interreaction. The location of Nezha's chakram and the nature of the ability subsystems within it result in an explosive effect when Nezha's teleportation ability is used while Fire Walker is active. An augment module has been developed to harness this quirk, and allow the Warframe to create a what I can only describe as a twenty meter carpet of fire.

  * Blazing Chakram represents Nezha's aforementioned teleportation ability, which allows him to teleport to the location of his chakram, but comes with a lot of extras. The titular chakram is the large ring Nezha carries on his back, and it houses the entire subsystem responsible for this ability. Nezha can throw it at enemies to hit them for a bit of fire-based damage, but the more interesting effect is that each enemy hit by this chakram heals Nezha's nearby allies upon dying. A real multitool of an ability, and it was designed much like one: the chakram is actually designed like an oversized Tenno Glaive, and the other effects were copied from Trinity and Loki. Amusingly,this allowed the augment module for this ability to be nothing but a modified Power Throw module.

  * Nezha's Warding Halo is his third ability, and is the only completely original ability design. However, it is easily the most simple one: energy expended on the ability is converted into a Void energy shield, with the standard reactive armour module added to allow it to grow stronger from incoming damage. The simplicity of the system allows Nezha to cast this ability on his allies with an augment module that provided some extra computational logic. This simplicity also resulted in mild instability of the shield, but this effect was weaponised, and all enemies coming near Nezha with Warding Halo active take damage from the Void energy lashing out at them.

  * Finally, Nezha's crowd control utility is achieved through Divine Spears, energy spears that explode from the ground near Nezha and impale his enemies. It's a recycled version of Excalibur's Radial Javelin subsystem, but there are numerous control modifications made to achieve the desired effect. This might not sound like much, but it's actually an impressive array of hacks from a technical perspective. I doubt you are interested in them, though.




A simple Warframe, isn't he? But there is a lot to learn from his simplicity. The model that arrived in our labs took an experimental Bombard shell directly to the neuroptics as part of an ill-fated Kuva Fortress raid, and it only took us three hours to repair him to complete functionality. May your Warframes never see the inside of my lab,

**_Kaiathas Kahn, Tenno archivist and maintenance overseer_ **


End file.
